Set of two gold coins St. Vitus treasure - Relics of St Adalbert proof
Set of two gold coins St. Vitus treasure - Relics of St Adalbert proof
Product description
Set of two gold coins from the Czech Mint commemorating the significance of the relics of St. Adalbert is the fourth issue in a series dedicated to St. Vitus' Treasure.
The St. Vitus Treasure, which was built up over centuries by the Přemyslids, Luxembourgs, Jagiellons, and Habsburgs, is one of the largest cathedral treasures in Europe. It consists of a collection of historical objects whose liturgical, artistic, craftsmanship, and material value is incalculable. The origins of the treasure date back to the 10th century and are directly linked to the reign of Saint Wenceslas, who acquired a relic from the shoulder bone of Saint Vitus. The prince stored it at Prague Castle, where he had the Rotunda of St. Vitus built, which was later replaced by the cathedral of the same name... In addition to St. Vitus, the remains of a number of other saints became part of the treasure, including St. Adalbert. As a determined propagator of the Christian faith, the second bishop of Prague attempted to eradicate the greatest evils of society at that time – paganism, slave trade, polygamy, priestly marriage, and alcoholism. However, he fought in vain against ingrained stereotypes, so he left the Czech lands to devote himself to the ascetic life of a monk and missionary. Thanks to this, he escaped the massacre of his Slavník family, but he himself was soon killed. While converting pagans to the true faith in Prussia, he was ritually murdered by his opponents in 997 and became a holy martyr. His personal belongings then became relics. In addition to rings, crosses, a comb, a mitre, gloves and robes, his skull became part of the St. Vitus Treasure. However, there are two others in Europe, and despite anthropological research, it is still not certain which one is the real one...
The two-part set is the work of academic sculptor Zbyněk Fojtů. While the reverse side of the first coin is dedicated to a bust of Saint Adalbert, the second reverse side features the saint's personal items – an ivory comb, a cross, and a detail of the border of a glove. An additional motif in both cases is a Gothic rosette. As the license to issue commemorative coins of the Czech Mint is provided by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse sides of both coins bear its necessary attributes – the state emblem, the nominal value of 10 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2025. The composition of the obverse sides is completed by a decorative motif of a bishop's mitre.
The mintage is limited to only 200 complete sets.