Spain · UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Series, 9th issue, Santiago de Compostela

Issue date2 Feb 2018

Total mintage300,000

EU maximum300,000

Editions6

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

InscriptionESPAÑA / 2018

DesignerAlfonso Morales Muñoz

mintFábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre / · Real Casa de la Moneda, Madrid

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honours Santiago de Compostela as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985 on account of its beauty, monuments, and spiritual and cultural significance in the Middle Ages as the destination of the Way of St James. The design depicts the sculpture of St James in the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, together with the inscription “ESPAÑA”.

The design

The city of Santiago de Compostela was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 due to its beauty and monuments, as well as the city’s spiritual and cultural significance in the Middle Ages (the pilgrimage route “Camino de Santiago” or “Way of Saint James”).

The “Camino de Santiago” or “Way of Saint James” is an extensive network of ancient pilgrimage routes throughout Europe that converge at the tomb of Saint James in the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

The coin’s design depicts the sculpture of Saint James in the center of the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The word “ESPAÑA” is shown in a semicircle on the left inner coin ring above the year of issue “2018”. The mintmark is shown below.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer coin ring.

Background on the topic

The saint depicted is James the Elder, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and brother of the Evangelist John. According to the New Testament, he belonged to the apostles’ inner circle and was executed under King Herod Agrippa I. A medieval tradition connects James with the Iberian Peninsula. According to this tradition, his remains reached Galicia and were discovered there in the early 9th century. This transfer cannot be substantiated historically; the tomb tradition, however, formed the basis for the emergence of the pilgrimage site. The name Santiago derives from the Spanish designation for Saint James.

A sanctuary initially developed over the venerated tomb, followed later by the cathedral. Construction of its Romanesque structure began in the 11th century; in the following centuries, it was expanded and altered several times. As a result, the building combines Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements. The Holy Door is located on the eastern side of the cathedral. It is opened only in so-called Holy Years of Saint James, when the apostle’s feast day on 25 July falls on a Sunday. Passing through it is then one of the religious practices of the pilgrims.

Since the Middle Ages, various routes from numerous parts of Europe have led to Galicia. Churches, monasteries, hostels, hospitals and bridges were established along these routes. The so-called Codex Calixtinus from the 12th century contains, among other things, information on stages, sanctuaries and local customs and is regarded as an early testimony to organized pilgrimage. The scallop shell became the widely recognized symbol of the pilgrims of Saint James.

The issue belongs to a Spanish series of 2-euro commemorative coins dealing with UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain. The choice of the motif is therefore not explained by a single anniversary. Instead, the figure of the apostle and the Holy Door were chosen as two elements that directly connect the religious destination of the pilgrimage with the cathedral.