Spain · UNESCO World Heritage Series, 10th issue, Old Town of Ávila and Churches Outside the City Walls

Issue date1 Feb 2019

Total mintage500,000

EU maximum1,000,000

Editions6

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

InscriptionESPAÑA / 2019

DesignerAlfonso Morales Muñoz

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

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honours the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches” (“Avilas Altstadt und die Kirchen außerhalb ihrer Stadtmauer”). The design shows a section of the Romanesque city wall surrounding the medieval townscape, preserved in its austerity and purity, as well as the inscription “ESPAÑA” and the mint mark.

The design

Surrounded by the best-preserved city walls in Spain, the medieval townscape of Avila has been preserved in its austerity and purity.

The centre of the coin design shows a partial view of this Romanesque city wall. Along the upper edge, the word “ESPAÑA”, the year of issue “2019” and the mintmark can be seen arranged in an ascending circular pattern.

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

Background on the topic

Ávila is located on the Castilian plateau in the present-day autonomous community of Castile and León (Kastilien und León). Its medieval appearance emerged primarily after the region was incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of Castile and León. For a long time, the area lay in a politically and militarily contested border zone between Christian and Muslim realms. Following the reconquest and repopulation of the city, fortifications were intended both to provide protection and to make the royal claim to power visible.

The city walls were built mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries. They are approximately two and a half kilometres long and feature numerous semicircular towers as well as several city gates. The cathedral was also incorporated into the fortifications: its apse is simultaneously part of the defensive complex. This combination of sacred architecture and fortress architecture illustrates the military function of the medieval episcopal city.

The World Heritage site includes, in addition to the walled city centre, several churches located outside it. Such places of worship arose along the roads leading out of the city and in the suburbs, where different population groups settled. They include Romanesque churches such as San Vicente, San Pedro, San Andrés and San Segundo. Their location shows that Ávila’s religious and social life was not confined to the protected inner city. The Basilica of San Vicente is also associated with a local martyr tradition.

Ávila is also closely associated with Teresa of Ávila (Teresa von Ávila). The Carmelite, born there in 1515, contributed to the reform of her order in the 16th century and founded the Monastery of San José (Kloster San José) in the city. Her writings form part of early modern Spanish mysticism.

The issue does not commemorate a single anniversary, but continues a Spanish coin series that has featured UNESCO World Heritage sites in Spain annually since 2010. Ávila was thus selected as part of an ongoing presentation of the country’s architectural and historical heritage.