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A 2 euro commemorative coin of the Vatican City State, issued in 2016 in a circulation of 80,000 copies. Dedicated to the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The author of the design is Mariangela Crisciotti (M. Crisciotti), the engraver is Momoni (Momoni inc.). Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g. Minted at IPZS in Rome.
Overse
The national side of the coin depicts Saint Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier of the imperial guard, who sits astride a horse and cuts his cloak with a sword to give half to a half-naked beggar he met on the way. This scene is one of the most famous plots in Christian iconography of mercy. The composition is surrounded by the following inscriptions: on the left in a semicircle: "GIUBILEO DELLA MISERICORDIA" (Jubilee of Mercy), on the right: "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City State). On the right: the year of issue "2016", below: the mint mark "R" and the name of the author "M. CRISCIOTTI". On the outer ring: the 12 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. It depicts a map of Europe as a single continent without internal borders. On the left: a large denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right: a map. On the outer ring: the 12 stars of the EU. The band is finely fluted and has the inscription "2 ★", repeated six times, alternately upright and inverted.
Historical context
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (Jubilaeum Extraordinarium Misericordiae) is an extraordinary Holy Year of the Catholic Church, declared by Pope Francis with the bull "Misericordiae Vultus" on April 11, 2015. The Jubilee lasted from December 8, 2015 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) to November 20, 2016 (the feast of Christ the King). Its opening on December 8, 2015 symbolically coincided with the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The theme was a quote from the Gospel of Luke: "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful." Pope Francis has ordered the opening of the Holy Doors not only in Rome, but also in cathedrals around the world for the first time in history. Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316-397) is one of the most revered saints in Europe and the patron saint of the poor.