| Description : El Gran Carlemany (The Great Charlemagne) is the national
anthem of Andorra. The lyrics ("The great Charlemagne, my father, freed me from the Arabs. And from heaven he gave me the
life of Meritxel, the great mother. I was born a princess, a virgin, neutral between two nations. I am the only remaining
daughter of the Carolingian Empire ...") were composed by Juan Benlloch y Vivó (1864‐1926) ‐ appointed
Bishop of Urgell from 1906 to 1918, (this position meant that he was also Prince of Andorra) and the tune of Enric Marfany
Bons (1871‐1942). Published in 1914, it was declared the national anthem by the Andorran Parliament "Consell General
de les Valls" on the 2nd of April 1917. The logo was designed based the book entitled the National Anthem of
Andorra, the original image of Benlloch y Vivós was later replaced by the first bars of the anthem in musical
notation. Surrounded by an ornament, there is the "Himne Andorrà" (Hymn of Andorra), and underneath it is an arched
piece of writing "chor unison i acompanyament" (choir and accompaniment ‐ implying that of an organ). To the lower left
is ‐ cut ‐ "Lletra del ... i llm ... lloch i Vivó" (text by ... "LL.M" = Master of Laws ... lloch i
Vivó), on the right "Música (music) ... mos ... (Mossèn = knight) En ... (Enric Marfany)". At the
bottom there is the coat of arms of Benloch y Vivó with the five‐pointed crown of the Andorran prince. At the
top is the year of minting "2017" and "100 anys de l'himne d'Andorra" (100th Anniversay of the Andorran anthem). The
coin was designed by the Ateliers de Gravure of the Monnaie de Paris. Andorran coins are minted alternately in the
countries of the Princes of Andorra; in 2017 it was the turn of the Monnaie de Paris in Pessac. Due to
organisational problems the coin could not be issued until 2018. |
