2677) Mont-Saint-Michel, Republic of France (Republique Francaise): 1000 Years (1023-2023 - millennium): Coin Minted By: B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at ther facilities in Munich: Coin Coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT): Year of Coin issue: 2023:
Mont-Saint-Michel:
Surrounded by wide sandbanks or, at high tide, by sea water, the unique silhouette of Mont-Saint-Michel crowns the secluded mount off the coast of Normandy.
Recognised as a famous landmark, place of pilgrimage and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, it is a captivating photo subject and popular visitor attraction in France.
Since the first construction work on the Benedictine Abbey in 966, the complex was continuously expanded until it was partly destroyed by fire in 1203 after the attempted conquest of the mount by King Philip II.
The latter compensated the monks by funding the construction of the showpiece of the monument – the magnificent monastery known as La Merveille (the Wonder).
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately one kilometre (one-half nautical mile) off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is 7 hectares (17 acres) in area.
The mainland part of the commune is 393 hectares (971 acres) in area so that the total surface of the commune is 400 hectares (990 acres). The island had a population of less than 50 individuals.
The commune's position - on an island just a few hundred metres from land - made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants.
The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War - a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433.
Louis XI recognised the reverse benefits of its natural defence and turned it into a prison. The abbey was used regularly as a prison during the Ancien Régime.
Mont-Saint-Michel and its surrounding bay were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 for its unique aesthetic and importance as a medieval Christian site.
It is visited by more than three million people each year. Over 60 buildings within the commune are protected in France as monuments historiques.
Adds the Book titled: "TREASURES OF THE WORLD - a complete guide the UNESCO world Heritage Sites" in my personal library -
"Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most important sites of medieval Christian civilization. The Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel Saint-Michel and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls are together known as the "Wonder of the West".
It is unequalled, as much because of the coexistence of the abbey and its fortified village within the confined limits of a small island, as for the originality of the placement of the buildings which give Mont-Saint-Michel its unforgetable silhouette. Built between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having adapted to the problems posed by its unique position and site - perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany.
Mont-Saint-Michel forms an architectural complex of great originality, built by successive restructurings and additions throughout the Middle Ages.
In 966, Benedictine monks from St. Wandrille founded the monastery of Saint-Michel-au-Peril-de-la-Mer on a granite tidal island in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. A sanctuary dedicated to Saint Michel had already existed on this location for a long time.
The oldest part of the present abbey, the small pre-Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, undoubtedly dates back to the tenth century. There are Romanesque influences in the nave of abbey church and in a group of convent buildings, including the chaplain's residence and the covered gallery of the monks, dating from the twelfth century.
However, it was the architectural advances of the later medieval Gothic period that allowed the island's restricted area to be used to best advantage, in the high walls, soaring masses and any pinnacles wqhich so harmoniously crown the sharp silhouette of the rock.
The new group of Romanesque convent buildings that were built from 1204, merit the name Merveille (marvel) for the elegance of their conception. They comprise the chaplain's residence of the twelfth century, the celebrated rooms known as Salles des Hotes and des Chevaliers, with rib vaults that spring from the central colonnades and, on the uppermost floor beside the refectory, the cloister, which is open on one side to the sea."
The Commemorative Coin has been issued in three Variants:
The Copper Coin Variant:
The Reverse of the $1 (One Dollar) Copper Coin Variant depicts the commune of Mont-Saint-Michel with its buildings around it protected by walls from the sea.
The inscription on the upper periphery is - "MONT SAINT MICHEL", while on the lower periphery the dates - "1023-2023" represent a millennium of its existence.
Country: (The) Cook Islands; Year: 2023; Denomination/Face Value: $1 (One Dollar); Metal Composition: Copper (Cu); Weight: 50 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm; Coin Quality: Antique Finish (AF); Coin Coordinated by: Coin Invest Trust (CIT), on behalf of Cook Islands; Mintage: 5,000 pieces; Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief - UHR)
The Copper Coin Presentation Case.
The Silver Coin Variant:
The design on Reverse of the $25 (Twenty-Five Dollars) Silver Coin Variant is identical to the Copper Coin Variant.
The design on Obverse of the $25 (Twenty-Five Dollars) Silver Coin Variant is identical to the Copper Coin Variant.
Country: (The) Cook Islands; Year: 2023; Denomination/Face Value: $10 (Ten Dollars); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 2.00 Oz or 62.2 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Coin Coordinated by: Coin Invest Trust (CIT), on behalf of Cook Islands; Mintage: 1,000 pieces; Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief - UHR).
The Gold Coin Variant:
The Gold Coin Variant shown placed on edge against a lattice ornamental background.
The design on Reverse of the $5 (Five Dollars) Gold Coin Variant is identical to the above two Variants.
The design on Obverse of the $5 (Five Dollars) Gold Coin Variant shows an effigy of Late Queen Elizabeth II facing right.
The peripheral inscriptions are - "ELIZABETH II. COOK ISLANDS. 5 DOLLARS".
Country: (The) Cook Islands; Year: 2023; Denomination/Face Value: $5 (Five Dollars); Metal Composition: .9999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 0.5 grams; Diameter/Size: 11.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P); Coin Coordinated by: Coin Invest Trust (CIT), on behalf of Cook Islands; Mintage: 5,000 pieces; Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief - UHR).
Links to other Coins in the Cyborg Revolution Coin Series" issued in this Series:
Links:
Most Haunted Places Coin Series:
Links to other posts on Metropolis Tiffany Art Coin Series:
The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:
For other interesting posts on honouring the work done for the blind/visually impaired persons please visit the following links:
1) A tour of Pune's Blind School and interaction with the students - a short story
2) A two-Rupee coin issued by the Indian Mints honouring Louis Braille on the occasion of his 200th Birth Anniversary in 2009 and a brief report on the Braille system
6) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009
Links to other posts in Metropolis Tiffany Art Coin Series:
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