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2 euro commemorative coin of the Italian Republic, issued in 2026. Dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. The author of the design is Antonio Vecchio (initials "AV"). Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g. Minted at IPZS in Rome.
Overse
The center of the coin depicts Saint Francis of Assisi, inspired by a 14th-century fresco by Simone Martini in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi (Umbria, Italy). Saint Francis is depicted in the characteristic robes of the Franciscan order with a hood. Around it are the inscriptions: "SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI 1226-2026" (Saint Francis of Assisi, year of death and year of issue). In the lower right corner is the "R" mark of the Roman mint. In the lower left corner are the initials "AV" of the designer Antonio Vecchio. On the outer ring are the 12 five-pointed stars of the European Union.
Reverse
The reverse is the common side of the 2 euro coins of the second type, designed by Luc Luix (Royal Belgian Mint). It depicts a map of Europe as a single continent without internal borders - a symbol of European unity. On the left is a large denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right is a map with six thin horizontal lines in the background. On the outer ring are the 12 stars of the European Union. The band is finely fluted and the inscription "2 ★", repeated six times alternately upright and inverted.
Historical context
Saint Francis of Assisi (San Francesco d'Assisi, real name Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, 1181/1182 - October 3, 1226) - founder of the Order of the Minor Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum, Franciscans), patron saint of Italy, along with Catherine of Siena. He was born in Assisi (Umbria) into a wealthy family of a cloth merchant. In his youth he dreamed of knighthood, but in 1205 he experienced a spiritual conversion. In 1209, he received the blessing of Pope Innocent III to found the Franciscan community - a community that lived in absolute poverty, humbly, serving the poor and preaching the Gospel. He wrote the Regula (the statute of the Order, 1221, 1223), the "Cantico delle Creature" (Cantico delle Creature, 1224) - one of the first poems in Italian. In 1224, he received the stigmata on Mount La Verna. He died in the Portiuncula near Assisi on October 3, 1226. He was canonized two years later, in 1228, by Pope Gregory IX. He was proclaimed the main patron of Italy by Pope Pius XII in 1939. Pope Francis, elected in 2013, chose a name in honor of the saint.