Germania Mint and Numiartis combine talents with designer Beata Kulesza Damaziak to showcase Notre Dame Cathedral

One of the world’s most iconic buildings has been increasingly in the news in recent years and for all the wrong reasons. The stunning Parisian medieval cathedral, Notre Dame, caught fire in April 2019 and suffered damage so extensive it was believed it would not survive intact. Fortunately, through the quick and brave actions of the French emergency services, and the experts that knew the cathedral structure so well (it was under renovation at the time), catastrophe was averted and the rebuild began soon after. That continues to this day thanks to an incredible fundraising effort by people around the world.

We’ve seen some fine coins themed around the building in recent years, thanks to its increased profile, The Czech Mint, Numiscollect, and especially Art Mint and Mint XXI, have issued some superb numismatics, and now two of the best producers have combined to release another, Numiartis and Germania Mint. Fans of the Mint of Poland’s many ancient mythology coins will know what a difference fine design makes, so the employment of one of the best artists of them, Beata Kulesza Damaziak, is another huge bonus.

The basis for the reverse face is a popular three-quarter view of the cathedral from behind a line of trees, but instead of a sky in the background, we have a close up of the famous West Rose Window (soon to enjoy its 800th anniversary) and the surrounding facade. Text on this face is gilded, and the foliage is coloured, leaving the cathedrals antique finish as the main attraction. The obverse is fully antiqued, and takes the equally famous North Rose Window as its subject, complete with the sculpture ‘Pieta’, carved in the late 17th century by Nicolas Coustou.

Both faces of the coin are quite excellent. It takes a different, but complimentary approach to Notre Dame from the Art Mint and Mint XXI coins, and any admirer of this amazing building would be well served by having these three coins in their collection. However, this isn’t the first in a Notre Dame series, but the first in one called ‘Aeternitas’, named after the Ancient Roman goddess of eternity. It will be interesting to see what comes next with so broad a remit. This one comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and just 500 of these two-ounce coins will be struck. It’s provided in one of those excellent solid acrylic display frames we like so much here, complete with a custom insert. Great stuff, it’s available to pre-order now and should be shipping later this month.

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

Notre-Dame de Paris is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and it’s among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass serve to contrast it with earlier Romanesque architecture. The cathedral treasury contains a reliquary, which houses some of Catholicism’s most important relics, including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave but after the construction began, the thinner walls grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral’s architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. The total surface area is 5,500 m² .

Many small individually crafted statues were placed around the outside to serve as column supports and water spouts. Among these are the famous gargoyles, designed for water run-off, and chimeras. The statues were originally coloured as was most of the exterior., but the paint has worn off. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345. The cathedral has a narrow climb of 387 steps at the top of several spiral staircases; along the climb it is possible to view its most famous bell and its gargoyles in close quarters, as well as having a spectacular view across Paris when reaching the top.

The most significant change in design came in the mid 13th century, when the transepts were remodelled in the latest Rayonnant style; in the late 1240s Jean de Chelles added a gabled portal to the north transept topped off by a spectacular rose window.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $5 NZD (Niue)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 62.2 grams
DIMENSIONS 45.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, colour, gilding
MINTAGE 500
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes