An introduction to Sacred Art Series from Palau

February 22, 2014 0 By SCS

[box]Sacred Art 系列介紹。系列由2011推出至今已發行七枚銀幣。由2013開始,發行款式由每年三款改成每年一款。最新發行為聖維特大教堂 (St. Vitus Cathedral),將於六月上市。[/box]

Sacred Art Series is a silver coin series features the artistic windows which adorn the cathedrals or churches around the world. Every coin is with a coloured glass insert which is a copy of the actual windows in the buildings. In addition to the windows, the engraving on the coins illustrates both interior and exterior decoration of the buildings. We can find a lot of detail on both obverse and reverse of the coins. 6 coins released between 2012 and 2013. Starting from 2014, only 1 coin will be released per year. The coins are struck in high relief, antique style and in a diamond shape. Every coin weights 50g in 92.5% silver.

2011: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Galician: Catedral de Santiago de Compostela), a cathedral of the archdiocese is in the World Heritage Site of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. The cathedral has historically been a place of pilgramage on the Way of St. James, since the Early Middle Ages. The building is a Romanesque structure with later Gothic and Baroque additions.

PW1103_Santiago de Compostela - Stained Glass ag_r PW1103_Santiago de Compostela - Stained Glass ag_o

2011: St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri; Italian: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter’s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains one of the largest churches in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom”.

PW1106_Sancti Petri - Stained Glass ag_r PW1106_Sancti Petri - Stained Glass ag_o

2011: Cathedral of St. Patrick

The Cathedral of St. Patrick (commonly called St. Patrick’s Cathedral) is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States and a prominent landmark of New York City. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, directly across the street from Rockefeller Center and specifically facing the Atlas statue.

PW1115_Saint Patrick's Cathedral - Stained Glass_r PW1115_Saint Patrick's Cathedral - Stained Glass_o

2012: Cathedral of Brasília

The Cathedral of Brasília (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida- “Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Aparecida” ) is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970. The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns, weighing 90 tons each.

PW1203_brasilia_reverse PW1203_brasilia_obverse

2012: Votive Church

The Votive Church (German: Votivkirche) is a neo-Gothic church located on the Ringstraße in Vienna, Austria. Following the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853, the Emperor’s brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian inaugurated a campaign to create a church to thank God for saving the Emperor’s life. Funds for construction were solicited from throughout the Empire. The church was dedicated in 1879 on the silver anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elisabeth.

PW1207_votive_church_reverse PW1207_votive_church_obverse

2012: Cathedral of Augsburg

The Cathedral of Augsburg (German: Dom Unserer Lieben Frau) is a Roman Catholic church in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but with 14th century Gothic additions. Together with the Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra, it is one of the city’s main attractions. It measures 113 x 40 m, and its towers are 62 m high. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

augsburg_reverse augsburg_obverse

2013: St. Vitus Cathedral (to be released in June 2014)

St. Vitus Cathedral (Czech: Katedrála svatého Víta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral. This cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country. Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, the cathedral is under the ownership of the Czech government as part of the Prague Castle complex.

PW1308_Cathedral_St_Vitus_reverse PW1308_Cathedral_St_Vitus_obverse