343)
Banknotes of the Republic of Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia–FYROM):
i) About the Republic of Macedonia – A Brief ii) 1000 Denar Banknote depicting
the Icon of the Madonna Episkepis with the Child Christ iii) Other
Denominations of Banknotes:
Links on posts about the Republic of Macedonia:
Links on posts about the Republic of Macedonia:
i)
About Macedonia – A Brief:
It is located in the
Balkan Peninsula in South-East Europe and is one of the successor countries of
former Yugoslavia. The Republic of Macedonia corresponds to the ancient Kingdom
of Paeonia.
In the late 6th
Century BC, the Achaemenid Persians under Darius the Great conquered
the Paeonians territories.
In 479 BC, following
the Second Persian invasion of Greece, the Persians withdrew from these
territories.
In 365 BC, Philip
II of Macedon conquered the territories of Upper Macedonia (Lykestis and
Pelagonia) and the Southern part of Paeonia (Deuriopus) which he annexed to the
Kingdom of Macedon.
His son, Alexander the
Great conquered the remainder of the territories and annexed them to his
Empire.
In 146 BC, the Romans
captured these territories and established the Province of Macedonia.
During the late 6th
Century AD, the Slavs raided Byzantine territories in the region of
Macedon, aided by the Bulgars.
By late 7th
Century AD a group of Bulgars, Slavs and Byzantines led by a Bulgar
called Kuber, established the present day city of Bitola.
Around the 9th
Century AD, the Slavic people settled in the territories of Macedonia
converted to Christianity, during the reign of Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria.
In 1014 AD, the Byzantine
Emperor Basil II defeated the armies of Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria and the
Byzantines controlled the area for the first time after the 7th
Century.
By late 12th
Century, the decline of the Byzantines brought about a Norman occupation.
In the 13th Century,
the Bulgarian Empire regained control of the region.
In the 14th
Century, these territories became a part of the Serbian Empire, who
saw themselves as liberators of their Slavic kin from Byzantine despotism. Skopje
was established as the capital of Tsar Stefan Dusan’s Empire.
Also, in the 14th
Century, after Dusan’s death, the Serbian Empire disintegrated and the rise
of the Ottoman Empire heralded the conquest of the Central Balkan territories
under whose domination these territories remained for the next five centuries
or so.
Following the Balkan
Wars of 1912 and 1913, which led to the dissolution of the Ottoman
Empire, most of their European held territories were divided between
Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia.
Serbia annexed the
territory of modern Macedonia under the name of “Juzna Srbija” (meaning “Southern Serbia”).
In 1915, the
territories of present day Macedonia fell under the control of the Central
Powers in the First World War, who returned it to Serbian control as part
of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
In 1929, the
Kingdom was renamed as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and divided into two
provinces called “Banovinas”, with Southern Serbia (including the
present day territories of the Republic of Macedonia) being called the “Vardar
Banovina” of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In
1934, the idea of a separate Macedonian Nation was mooted for the first time.
During World War II,
Yugoslavia was occupied by Axis Powers.
In 1944,
Anti-Fascist groups proclaimed the “People’s Republic of Macedonia” as a
part of the People’s Federal Republic of Yugoslavia”. It was one of the six Republics of the Yugoslav Federation.
In 1963, the Federation
was renamed as the “Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” following
which the name of Macedonia was also changed to “Socialist Republic of
Macedonia”.
In 1991, the term “Socialist”
was dropped from the country name, when it became independent from the
Yugoslav Federation on 08.09.1991 and it has since been called the “Republic
of Macedonia”.
In 1993, Macedonia became
the youngest member-nation of the United Nations Organisation (UNO). Interestingly, as there was a dispute
with Greece over the use of the name Macedonia, it was admitted under the provisional
description Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – FYROM, as such the country
is also referred to by this appellation.
It is a land-locked
country with its capital at Skopje. Apart from Skopje, the other prominent
cities are – Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Stip, Kocani,
Gostivar, Kavadarci and Strumica.
It has between 500,000 and
600,000 citizens.
The
Currency:
The “Denar” or “Denari”
is the currency of the Republic of Macedonia, subdivided into 100 “Deni”.
ii)
About the 1000 Denar Banknote:
The Front of the 1000 Denar Banknote
On the Front of the 1000 Denar Banknote is an icon of the Virgin Episkepis from
the Church of St. Vrachi-Mali, Ohrid,
(early 14th Century) and is now placed in the Byzantine
Museum in Athens, Greece. The icon is depicted in its true dimensions, with an
image of the Christ child. The presence of two angels in the upper corners of
the icon symbolises the depiction of a sorrowful Madonna, as she sits
contemplating his coming passion. (Only one of the angels is taken on this
Banknote design on the left hand side).
The Back of the 1000 Denar Banknote
On the Back of the 1000 Denar Banknote is a detail from Gregory’s Gallery (14th Century) from the Church of St. Sofia in Ohrid
which was built in the 10th and 11th Centuries.
This Church was the seat of the Ohrid Archbishopric and contains many
invaluable frescos from the 11th and 14th Centuries.
The colour of this Banknote is Brown.
This
Banknote was first issued in 1996 and upgraded in 2003.
The
Church of St. Sophia, Ohrid:
The Church of St. Sophia
is one of the most important monuments in Macedonia housing architecture and
art from the “Middle Ages” (or the “Medieval period” from the 5th
to 15th Century AD. It began with the fall of the Western Roman
Empire and merged into the “Renaissance” and the “Age of Discovery”).
The Church was built
during the First Bulgarian Empire, after the official conversion to
Christianity, probably during the reign of King Knyaz Boris I (852-889
AD).
It was originally
designated as a Synod Church of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and later became
a part of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. Subsequently, during rule of the Ottoman
Empire (1299-1920 AD), it was converted into a mosque.
The interior of the Church
has been preserved with its original frescos from the 11th to the
13th Centuries, which
represent some of the most significant achievements in Byzantine paintings of
that time (Byzantine paintings were made during the Eastern Roman or
Byzantine Empire as well as States that inherited culturally from the Empire
upon its decline and fall in the 15th Century AD, with the
fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. Several Eastern European States
including Muslim ruled ones of the Eastern Mediterranean, preserved many
aspects of the Empire’s culture and art for several Centuries afterwards,
through which these paintings have survived).
In November 2009,
the Macedonian Orthodox Church introduced a new Coat of Arms with the church of
St. Sophia as a charge on the shield.
The most famous of the
surviving Byzantine art works is the mosaic of the Haga Sophia in
Constantinople. This is the upper part of the image of “Christ Pantocrator” on
the walls of the upper Southern gallery. Christ is flanked by the Virgin Mary
and John the Baptist. This mosaic is from the 12th Century AD.
The Security features on this Banknote include:
a Windowed
Thread: which is 2 mm wide, with a visible micro-text bearing the
abbreviation “HbPM”,
Windowed thread on the
Banknote
Intaglio: multicoloured
printed text and engraving,
Intaglio Print on the
Banknote
Registered
three-dimensional water-mark:
bearing the image of the “Madonna – Episkepis”, an icon of the Virgin Mary,
Watermark on the Banknote
Optically
Variable Device (OVD):
OVD element hologram application, in the middle of the application is
placed a larger figure of the numeral 1000 around the map of R. Macedonia with
several smaller figures of the numeral 1000 is placed around them,
OVD Feature on the
Banknote
Optically
Variable Ink (OVI): can be seen around this image,
Optically Variable Ink on
the Banknote
Latent
image: seen in the folds of the Virgin Mary’s dress, bearing the
printed text “HbPM”. The Latent image is visible at a particular angle,
Latent Image on the
Banknote
Micro-Text:
In the thin line above the text,
Micro-text on the Banknote
See-Through
Feature: Image of a star divided into two parts,
one on each side of the Banknote which matches/overlaps when observed against
the light,
See through feature on the
Banknote
Iridescent
ink: Coloured stripe with a metal layer, at which the flag
of Macedonia and the numeral 1000 are visible when tilted against the light.
Iridescent Ink feature on
the Banknote
iii)
Other presently Circulating Banknotes:
Banknotes
of the 1996 Series:
Security
features:
All Banknotes possess a
number of Security features such as a Watermark, Windowed Thread, Intaglio
Print, Latent Image, Micro-text, See-through feature, OVD and Optically
Variable Ink (OVI) etc.
The
Designs on the Banknotes:
The Front of the 10 Denars Banknote
On the Front of the 10 Denars Banknote is depicted the Torso of the Egyptian Goddess Isis (Isida – 2nd Century BC), which is 42 cm high, sculpted from Albaster on amber colour. Imported to Ohrid, once known as Lihnidos, the Goddess Isida, Mother of the entire Nature, rules the Underworld. She is a comforter of sufferers and calmer of storms.
On the Front of the 10 Denars Banknote is depicted the Torso of the Egyptian Goddess Isis (Isida – 2nd Century BC), which is 42 cm high, sculpted from Albaster on amber colour. Imported to Ohrid, once known as Lihnidos, the Goddess Isida, Mother of the entire Nature, rules the Underworld. She is a comforter of sufferers and calmer of storms.
Also seen is Gold
Earring (4th Century BC), from Beranci or Berantsi, in the Moglia Region, Bitola (Bitola is
a city in the South-Western part of the Republic of Macedonia which was an
important administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial and education centre).
This earring was discovered in a grave dating from the 4th
Century BC. It is in the form of a crescent and made of gold filigree. The
winged Sphinx is seen on the upper part of the ornament.
The Back of the 10 Denars Banknote
On the Back of the 10 Denars Banknote is depicted a Peacock Mosaic in Stobi (4th – 5th
Century AD). This is a detail from the floor Mosaic from the baptisteries
of the Episcopal Basilica in the ancient city of Stobi from the 5th
– 6th Century AD. The peacock, a bird of paradise, drinking
water from the source of life (Cantaros)
symbolises the believers thirsting for the teachings of Christ, mental peace
and tranquillity.
Image of the peacock
mosaic from Stobi which inspired the design on the 10 Denars Banknote
The colour of this Banknote is lilac.
Stobi: (Stobi
is a Paeonian word meaning “pillar or post” symbolising a “rock”) was an
ancient town of Paeonia which was conquered by Philip V of Macedon in 217 BC
and later in 168 BC, it was occupied by the Romans who turned into the
capital of the Roman Province of Macedonia Salutaris (presently near Gradsko in
the Republic of Macedonia).
It is located on the road
that leads from the Danube to the Aegean Sea, where the Erigon River (present
day Crna River) joins the Axios River (modern day Vardar River) and it was
strategically a very important centre for both trade and warfare.
is a very important
archaeological site with several buildings, religious artifacts, ceramic
objects, intricate and beautifully made mosaics, a marble head of Augustus
Caesar among others being unearthed giving an insight into the life and times
of the city over the Ages.
The Front of the 50 Denars Banknote
On the Front of the 50
Denars Banknote is depicted a decorative Stucco Ark or Arch from
the South Wall of the Church of St. Panteleimon in Gorno Nerezi, Skopjein and a “Folis” coin (“Folis”, meaning “a bag” usually made of
leather - was a large Bronze coin used in Rome and Byzantine. Later the “Fals”
was a bronze coin issued by the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates in the late 8th
Century, which were initially imitations of the Byzantine Folis).
The Folis coin depicted here: is of copper from the reign of
Emperor Anastasie I (491–518 AD), introduced to eliminate the inflation
and monetary chaos in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. The uncontrolled
minting of copper coins was replaced by introducing a new weight of copper
Folis of 9.10 gms, which was 72nd equal part of the copper Pound.
The Folis with “M” had a value of 50 Numies and the Folis with “K” inscription
had a value of 20 Numies, while the one with “I” inscription had a value of 10
Numies.
Image of a Folis Coin
marked with an “M” on the Reverse and depicting portrait of Anastasie I on the
Obverse
The
Decorative Stucco Ark or Arch from the South Wall of the Church of St.
Panteleimon in Gorno Nerezi, Skopje: This is a frame from the
fresco of St. Panteleimon, the patron of the Church which was built in 1164
and contains magnificent frescoes. St. Panteleimon was a doctor of Medicine and
is always portrayed with a scalpel and a bottle of medicine in his hand. He is
a protector of doctors and health.
The Back of the 50 Denars Banknote
On the Back of the 50 Denars Banknote is depicted the “Arhangel Gavril”
(meaning the “Archangel Gabriel”)
in the Church of St. Ghiorghi,
Kurbinovo.
Archangel
Gabriel: is taken from the Scene of annunciation
on the East Wall of the Church of St. Ghiorghi in Kurbinovo on the Lake Prespa.
The Church dates from 1191 AD. The Frescoes were painted by the Artist – Pictor
I.
The colour of this Banknote is blue.
The Front of the 100 Denars Banknote
On the Front of the 100
Denars Banknote is depicted a Ceiling
Rosette in deep relief in an Albanian house in Debar.
Wealthy families used to
decorate the ceilings of their houses with wood-carving, considered to be a
Baroque Architectural element.
The Back of the 100 Denars Banknote
On the Back of the 100 Denars Banknote is depicted an engraving made by a Holland printer
Jacobus Harevin in 1594 showing a view of Skopje from an Albanian house. This engraving is now
housed in Numberg.
The colour of this Banknote is lilac brown.
The Front of a 500 Denar Banknote issued in 2003
On the Front of the 500
Denars Banknote is depicted a gold
Death Mask from Trebenista (an ancient necropolis located in Macedonia,
dating from the Iron Age around 7th Century BC, located near
the town of Ohrid. During excavations, several graves, five gold masks and some
iron ear-rings and plates were unearthed among other artefacts).
This Death Mask is made of fine gold tin and was discovered in a
Nobleman’s grave from the 6th Century BC.
The Back of a 500 Denar Banknote issued in 2003
On the Back of the 500 Denars Banknote is depicted a Poppy flower.
The Poppy was introduced in Macedonia in 1835. The blossom
of the Poppy is of a violet colour. It is mostly grown in Tikves, Gevgelija, and
Veles Ares.
The colour of this Banknote is red-brown.
This
Banknote was later upgraded with more security features in 2003.
The Front of a 500 Denar Banknote issued in 1993
This is an image of the 500 Denar Banknote issued under the 1993 Series of Banknotes. On the Front, it depicts Samuil’s fortress in Ohrid.
The Back of a 500 Denar Banknote issued in 1993
On the Back is the Monastery of St Jovan Caneo in Ohrid.
This is an image of the 500 Denar Banknote issued under the 1993 Series of Banknotes. On the Front, it depicts Samuil’s fortress in Ohrid.
On the Back is the Monastery of St Jovan Caneo in Ohrid.
The colour of this Banknote is brown-dark green.
The Front of a 5000 Denar Banknote
On the Front of the 5000
Denars Banknote is depicted the Bronze
figure of Maenad (6th Century BC), Tetovo.
The Tetovo Maenid: is a bronze figurine, an archaeological
discovery, unearthed in a nobleman’s grave discovered in Tetovo which was
constructed in the last decades of the 6th Century BC. The
figurine represents a character playing and dancing with her partner, a Satyr,
in honour of the cult of the God Dionysus, the God of Grapes and Wine. It
represents the artistic expression of the beginnings of the ancient era in
Macedonia.
The Back of a 5000 Denar Banknote
On the Back of the 5000 Denars Banknote is depicted a Dog and Tree Mosaic, Heraclea Lyncestis, Cerberus the Dog tied to
the Tree (5th – 6th Century AD), Bitola.
This Dog and Tree Mosaic
is taken from the floor of the Nartex in the Great Basilica in Heraklea and
represents the Christian Universe. The landscape is depicted by trees laden
with fruit, around which birds are flying and between which are animals and
bushes bearing flowers. Cerebrus the Dog is tied to the Fig tree, representing
the Watcher of Heaven.
Banknotes
of the 2014 Series:
The following
denominations of Banknotes were added to the earlier Series in circulation in
August 2014:
The Front of a 200 Denars Banknote issued in 2014
On the Front of the 200
Denars Banknote is depicted an early medieval bronze fibula (found near Prilep) and a Relief of the Old Testament Psalm 41
(terracotta icon from Vinica).
The Back of a 200 Denars Banknote issued in 2014
On the Back of the 200 Denars Banknote is depicted Artistic elements on the façade of a colourful mosque
(Sarena Dzamija, Alaca Cami), Tetova, and marble
tiles with floral designs of Isaak Beg mosque (Isak Dzamija), Bitola.
On the Front of the 2000
Denars Banknote is depicted a Bronze
artefact in the shape of a cup poppy (discovered in Suva Reka,
Gevgelija) and a Macedonian Bridal dress from Prilep.
On the Back of the 2000 Denars Banknote is depicted a Decoration on the inside of a gilded bowl (16th
Century), “Source of Life”
and peacocks.
(The 1000 Denar Banknote
is from the collection of Jayant Biswas. Post researched and written by Rajeev
Prasad)
No comments:
Post a Comment