Croatia · Marko Marulić

Issue date15 Oct 2024

Total mintage200,000

EU maximum200,000

Editions3

Edge letteringO LIJEPA O DRAGA O SLATKA SLOBODO

InscriptionHR / 2024 / MARKO MARULIĆ

DesignerStjepan Divković

mintCroatian Mint, Svetonedeljska cesta 2, 10 431 Sveta Nedelja

Issue occasion

The coin honours the legacy of the Croatian writer Marko Marulić on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death. The design features his portrait as well as the inscriptions “HR”, “2024” and “MARKO MARULIĆ”. Marulić is considered an important representative of European Christian Humanism and Renaissance epic poetry; his main work, “Judita”, is the first artistic epic in the Croatian language.

The design

To commemorate this important event, the Government of the Republic of Croatia declared 2024 the “Marko Marulić” Year. The central motif on the national side of the coin is a portrait of the Croatian writer Marko Marulić (1450-1524). Marko Marulić (Marul) was born in Split in 1450 and is considered one of the most important representatives of European Christian humanism and Renaissance epic poetry. His literary works, written predominantly in Latin, comprise poetry and prose. His literary models were the Bible, the philosophy of the Church Fathers and classical antiquity. His principal work is considered to be the epic poem Judita, written in Croatian. It is the first artistic epic in the Croatian language, based on the poetics of Vergil and biblical epic poetry. In his work, Marulić succeeded in merging the Croatian, Latin and Italian literary traditions and creating a masterpiece. It was completed in 1501 and published for the first time twenty years later.

The core of the coin bears the country code “HR” (Croatia), the year of issue “2024” and the inscription “MARKO MARULIĆ” running along the edge.

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

Background on the topic

Marulić lived in Split, which at the time belonged to the part of Dalmatia ruled by Venice. He came from a patrician family, received a humanist education, and was also involved in municipal administration. The cultural environment of the Dalmatian coastal cities was shaped by the exchange between Italian Renaissance culture, ecclesiastical scholarship and local linguistic traditions. At the same time, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire threatened the Dalmatian hinterland.

In addition to his Croatian texts, Marulić wrote moral-theological and religious works for a learned European audience. They include “Evangelistarium” and “De institutione bene vivendi per exempla sanctorum”, a collection of rules for living based on biblical figures and saints. Such works were printed outside Dalmatia, issued in multiple editions and translated into various European languages. During his lifetime, Marulić was therefore known above all as a Latin author. His Latin epic “Davidias” deals with the story of the biblical King David.

“Judita” recounts the Old Testament story of Judit and Holofernes: a besieged city is saved after Judit enters the camp of the enemy commander and kills him. Marulić transferred the plot into the literary and political world of experience of his time. Against the background of Ottoman attacks, the text could be understood as a call for steadfastness and communal defence. Its language is based on the Čakavian variety of Croatian, which was widespread along the Dalmatian coast.

In Croatia, Marulić is often referred to as the “father of Croatian literature”. This position is based on the combination of European humanism, biblical subjects and the Croatian written language. The government declared the commemorative year the “Marko Marulić Year”. The coin issue thus forms part of a state commemorative programme intended to highlight his role in the history of Croatian literature and language.