Greece · 200 years since the first Greek Constitution

Issue date1 Jul 2022

Total mintage750,000

EU maximum750,000

Editions3

Edge letteringΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ + ★

InscriptionHELLENISCHE REPUBLIK / ERSTE GRIECHISCHE VERFASSUNG / 1822 / 2022 / Palmette / Monogramm des Künstlers

DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos

mintBank of Greece - Mint, Halandri

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the first Greek Constitution of 1822. The design depicts the Temple of Asklepios at Epidaurus with the statue of the god at its centre and is based on the reverse of a medal commemorating the First National Assembly of the rebellious Greeks in Epidaurus. It is complemented by the inscriptions “HELLENIC REPUBLIC” and “FIRST GREEK CONSTITUTION”, the years “1822” and “2022”, a palmette, and the monogram of the artist George Stamatopoulos.

The design

The coin depicts the Temple of Asklepios at Epidauros, with the statue of the god at the center. The coin design replicates the reverse of a medal commemorating the First National Assembly of the insurgent Greeks at Epidauros, which was awarded to the participants in the assembly during the reign of King Otto. Around the edge of the inner part of the coin are the inscriptions “HELLENIC REPUBLIC” and “FIRST GREEK CONSTITUTION”, as well as the years “1822” and “2022”, a palmette (the mintmark of the Greek mint), and the artist’s monogram (George Stamatopoulos). The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

The constitution was drafted during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, which had begun in 1821. Representatives of various areas involved in the uprising gathered for a National Assembly at the end of 1821. The venue was Piada, now Nea Epidavros, and not the ancient sanctuary of Epidauros, located several kilometres away. The assembly was intended to unite the regional political and military structures and give the uprising a common state order.

The adopted document was entitled “Provisional Constitution of Greece”. It declared the political existence and independence of the Greek nation and regulated the establishment of a provisional central authority. Legislative, executive and judicial organs were provided for. The text also contained provisions on equality before the law and the protection of property, honour and personal security. Its practical effectiveness remained limited because of the war, internal Greek conflicts and shifting power relations. Nevertheless, it marked the transition from a military uprising to a politically and legally organised state-building project.

The order was revised as early as 1823 by the Constitution of Astros; the Constitution of Troizen followed in 1827. International recognition of an independent Greek state came only later. Under King Otto, who became the first king of Greece after the War of Independence, a medal commemorated the participants in the assembly. Its later use as a model connects the revolutionary drafting of the constitution with the state memorial culture of the young kingdom.

Asklepios was the god of healing in Greek religion. His sanctuary near Epidauros was a supraregional centre of worship and treatment; the sick went there seeking religious healing. In the context of the coin, the temple with the cult statue primarily serves as a pictorial identifying feature of Epidauros. The choice of the anniversary refers to an early starting point of Greek statehood and the constitutional tradition, even though the order at the time initially had only a provisional character.