Spain · UNESCO World Heritage Series, 11th issue, Mudéjar Architecture in Aragón

Issue date31 Jan 2020

Total mintage4,000,000

EU maximum4,000,000

Editions6

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

InscriptionESPAÑA / 2020 / ARQUITECTURA MUDEJAR DE ARAGÓN

DesignerAlfonso Morales Muñoz

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

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honors Aragon and its Mudéjar architecture as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design shows the El Salvador Tower in Teruel and the semicircular inscription “ARQUITECTURA MUDEJAR DE ARAGÓN”. “ESPAÑA” appears on the left, and the mint mark is depicted on the right.

The design

The coin design depicts the El Salvador Tower of Teruel. “ESPAÑA” is shown in capital letters on the left, with the mint mark on the right and the year of issue 2020 below it. The upper edge of the inner part of the coin bears the semicircular inscription “ARQUITECTURA MUDEJAR DE ARAGÓN” in capital letters.

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

Background on the topic

The term Mudéjar derives from an Arabic designation for Muslims who were allowed to remain in their places of residence on the Iberian Peninsula after the Christian conquest. In art history, it refers to an architectural and decorative style in which Islamic-influenced craft techniques were combined with Christian forms, particularly Romanesque and Gothic forms, and later also Renaissance forms. Mudéjar is therefore not an independent religious style: corresponding elements are found on churches, palaces and other buildings.

In Aragón, this architecture developed from the Middle Ages through the early modern period. It is characterised by the intensive use of brick, geometric relief patterns, glazed ceramics, stucco work and artistically constructed wooden ceilings. Particularly striking are the tall bell towers, whose design partly recalls Islamic minarets. The style emerged against the backdrop of a society in which Christians, Muslims and Jews lived legally and religiously separated from one another, while their craft and artistic traditions nevertheless influenced each other.

The tower depicted belongs to the Church of San Salvador in Teruel. It dates from the Middle Ages and at the same time spans a street. Its brick surfaces are structured by arches, diamond and interlacing patterns, as well as coloured ceramic inlays. It thus illustrates typical features of Aragonese Mudéjar architecture.

UNESCO initially added four Mudéjar buildings in Teruel to the World Heritage List in 1986. In 2001, the World Heritage site was expanded and received its current designation referring to all of Aragón. It comprises a total of ten buildings or building components, including those in Teruel, Saragossa, Calatayud, Cervera de la Cañada and Tobed.

The issue belongs to the Spanish series of 2-euro commemorative coins, which has featured Spanish UNESCO World Heritage sites successively since 2010. The selection was therefore part of this ongoing series and was not linked to a round anniversary of the building or its inscription as a World Heritage site.