974) Notre Dame de Paris, France "Reconstruction": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) restrikes 2013 Silver 10 Euro Coin, Bronze Medal and Silver-coloured Mini-medal, part proceeds of which will go towards the reconstruction of the iconic Cathedral which was partially burnt in a fire on 15.04.2019:

974) Notre Dame de Paris, France "Reconstruction": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) restrikes 2013 Silver 10 Euro Coin, Bronze Medal and Silver-coloured Mini-medal, part proceeds of which will go towards the reconstruction of the iconic Cathedral which was partially burnt in a fire on 15.04.2019:

Notre Dame Cathedral in France, built more than 850 years ago, receives more than 13.0 million visitors every year from around the world. It is the most visited monument in Europe.

It is, simply put, the heart and soul of the French nation.

The devastating Fire on 15.04.2019:

On 15.04.2019, it has suffered a terrible fire that destroyed a huge part of the Cathedral. 

The attic's structure which is built from wooden beams, some dating back to the 12th Century AD began burning fiercely, making it almost impossible to douse the fire quickly. What caused the fire is still unknown.

The fire spread quickly within one hour and spread from the attic to the spire, which is a 300 foot high wooden structure covered in mead. Within a short time, it was engulfed in flames, falling to one side before collapsing completely.

After the spire fell down, the fire spread quickly across the rest of the Cathedral's roof and about two-thirds of the wooden roof-tops were burnt down completely.

The 300 foot Spire contained relics of two patron saints of Paris was completely destroyed. 

While the Crown of Thorns was saved, the status of the True Cross and Holy Nails, relics from Jesus's crucifixion is still being assessed. The Cathedral also contained the Madonna and Child, the statue known as Notre Dame of Paris which shares its name with the Cathedral. Inside the ancient Cathedral are also several paintings, sculptures and Cathedral structures including 10 bells. The status of these items is still under assessment.

Fires which spread to the Stone Towers were contained before they could cause much damage. Similarly, the tunic of Saint Louis, a 13th Century garment of King Louis, the only French King to become a saint was not damaged.

The "North Rose" Stained Glass Window has survived.

The Great Organ which contains 8,000 pipes built in 1403 has survived the fire and damages to its pipes, if any, is being examined.

16 Copper statues representing the 12 Apostles and 04 Evangelists which were removed from the spire about a week ago for renovation, hence they were saved.

Preliminary reports are rather encouraging in that, the 850 year old structure is still sound and can be renovated over a lengthy period of time.

Historical highlights:

In 1163 AD, the construction of ths cathedral began.

The present edifice replaced an earlier Cathedral destroyed by fire.

In the 13th Century, fire struck again, promptinhg new work on the Cathedral between 1230 AD and 1240 AD.

In 1365 AD, construction was completed after a period of over 180 years.

The present edifice replaced an earlier Cathedral which was destroyed in the fire.

In the 16th Century, the Cathedral was vandalised.

In 1790 AD, the French Revolution began. That decade saw the Cathedral suffer damage and neglect.

In 1831 AD, French writer Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" describes the Cathedrals decrepit state, leading to restoration efforts.

In 1991 AD, the Cathedral was included in UNESCO's List of World Heritage sites as part of "Paris on the Banks of the Seine".

In 2000 AD to present day - Notre Dame draws over 13.0 million visitors every year. It continues to be used for Sunday Mass and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris.

This is the Cathedral, where Napoleon Banaparte was crowned Emperor of France in 1804.

The Cathedral, whose name translates to "Our Lady of Paris" has demonstrated tremendous resilience over the centuries, suffering periods of damage and neglect, always managing to "rise from the ashes".

More About Notre Dame de Paris:

An irrefutable masterpiece of Gothic Art, Notre-Dame Cathedral had its foundations laid in 1163 AD and is presently a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the Book published by UNESCO titled "Treasures of the World" a comprehensive publication by "UNESCO Publishing"  in my personal library -

"Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims, France: The outstanding handling of new architectural techniques, in the 13th Century and the harmonious marriage of sculptural decoration with architecture, made Notre-Dame in Reims a master-piece of Gothic Art. The perfection of the architecture and the sculptural ensemble of the Cathedral were such that numerous edifices were influenced by it, particularly in regions of  Germany. 

The former abbey still has its beautiful ninth-century nave in which lie the remains of Archbishop Saint Remi (440-533) who baptised Clovis, the unifier and first King of the Franks. The former archiepiscopal palace known as the Tau Palace, which played an important role in religious ceremonies, was almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th Century.

The Cathedral, the archiepiscopal palace and the old Abbey of St. Remi are directly linked to the history of the French monarchy as the place of coronation of the kings of France.

The 13th Century builders of Reims, conscious of erecting the Cathedral for the coronation of the kings of France, enhanced its structural elements with greater lightness and made more openings."

Monnaie de Paris Coins & Medals restrikes of  the 850th  Anniversary milestone which were issued in 2013, to support the cause of rebuilding of the Notre Dame Cathedral:

The 10 Euro Silver Coin placed against the background of the burning Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Obverse of the Bronze medal placed against a background which says - For the Reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris

In 2013, the 850th Anniversary was celebrated by Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint) with a series of coins to celebrate this milestone.

Monnaie de Paris is contributing towards the reconstruction of this major monument by reminting a 10 Euro Silver coin, a medal and a mini-medal., which it had issued in 2013 when the iconic Cathedral had crossed the 850 years milestone. The designs of these coins & medals are modelled on the 2013 Coin & medal series of Notre-Dame coins & medal issues - with the exception of inclusion of the word "RECONSTRUCTION" and the date "15.04.2019"..

 20 Euros from  the sale proceeds of every coin, 50 Euro for every bronze medal and 6 Euro for every mini-medal, will go towards the reconstruction of the Cathedral.

The Reverse of 10 Euro Silver Coin depicts the south façade of the Cathedral, a tribute to the architecture of this famous monument. Inscribed are symbols of Gothic art - a gargoyle, the arch of the main entry and tympanum of Notre-Dame. Other Inscriptions are "2019", "10 Euro", "PATRIMOINE MONDIAL DE UNESCO".

The mint mark of the Paris Mint the "Cornucopia" is at centre right.

The Obverse of the 10 Euro Silver Coin design is a reversed image of the other face except for the inscriptions - "15.04.2019", "RECONSTRUCTION", NOTRE DAME de PARIS" and the letters "RF" (standing for "Republique Francaise" or the "Republic of France").

The specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: 10 Euro; Metal Composition: .900/1000 Silver (Ag); Year of issue: 2019; Weight: 22.20 grams; Diameter/Size: 37.0 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Mintage: 5,000 pieces;

The Obverse of the Bronze medal presents the South Façade of the Cathedral, a tribute to the architecture of this famous monument, a gargoyle and the arch of the main entry and tympanum of the Notre-Dame. 

The Reverse of the Bronze Medal is the exact reproduction of the Northern "Rose" - stained-glass window.

The specifications of this Bronze Medal are:

Diameter/Size: 100.0 mm; Metal Composition:  Bronze Florentin; Weight: 375.0 grams; Mintage: 999 pieces; Presentation: Black box with a Certificate of Authenticity; Year: 2019Numbering: Serialised numbering on the edge.

The Front of the Silver-coloured mini medal is identical to the Bronze medal shown above

The Reverse of the Silver-coloured mini-medal is identical to the Bronze medal shown above. The peripheral inscriptions are - "RECONSTRUCTION DE NOTRE DAME DE PARIS. 15 AVRIL 2019'.the name of the Paris Mint - "MONNAIE DE PARIS" is on the lower periphery.

The specifications of the mini-Medal are:

Metal: Metal Courant/Cupro-Nickel; Weight: 17.7 grams; Diameter: 34.0 grams; 



Links:

 1) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009

2) Honouring Charles Eduord Jeanneret popularly known as Le Corbusieur, the French architect who built the modern city of Chandigarh & several other projects: A 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank 

3) Fort St. George Museum, Chennai (Part iii): i) Indo-Danish coins ii) Indo-Dutch coins iii) Indo-French coins iv) Indo-Portuguese coins 

4) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc African Financial Community" (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African States issues : the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)

5) French Indo-China issues: A silver one Paistre coin issued in 1895 

6) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emission d'outre-Mer (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)  

 7) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) - the CFP Franc

8) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part I): A one Crown Commemorative Coin issued by the Ascension Island 

9) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part II) : coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP coin issued by the Royal Mint UK: 2) A "Drie Landen Zilverset" issued by the Royal Dutch Mint - which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK 

 10) Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" or "La Pucelle": "Women of France Coin Series": 200 & 50 Euro gold coins and 10 Euro Silver coins issued by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016

11) i)"Europa Coin Programme" or the Eurostar Programme ii) Monnaie de Paris has issued a series of six coins with the theme "The Age of Iron & Glass" in January 2017

12) 100th Anniversary of Auguste Rodin's passing away commemorated with gold and silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris under its on-going "The 7 Arts" Coin Series

 13) Statue of Liberty, Paris, France: "Treasures of Paris": Coin series issued by Monnaie de Paris on 20.01.2017

14) Marianne (or Liberty): "The Trilogy": A set of Euro denominated coins in Gold and silver brought out by Monnaie de Paris in January 2017 

15) Dakota Aircraft & the Berlin Airlift: Latest coins in the "L'Aviation Historie" ("Aviation and History) Coin Series issued in 2018 by the Paris Mint:

16) The "Baroque & Rococo Era" in France : Coins feature, The Hall of Mirrors, Rococo elements of the Palace of Versailles, philosopher Voltaire and the Dancing King Louis XIV in gold & silver coins issued during 2018, under the "Europa Coin Programme"

17) George Sand: "Women of France Coin Series": Third Coin in the Series issued during 2018 by the Monnaie de Paris, France on 04.05.2018

18) "Paris, The Banks of the River Seine" ("Rivos de la Seine") : UNESCO World Heritage Site: "The Louvre Museum"(Musee du Louvre") and "Pont des Arts": Gold and Silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris on 14.06.2018

19) Notre Dame de Paris, France "Reconstruction": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) restrikes 2013 Silver 10 Euro Coin, Bronze Medal and Silver-coloured Mini-Medal, part proceeds of which will go towards the reconstruction of the iconic Cathedral which was partially burnt in a fire on 15.04.2019