| Description : The central motif shows, in the background, the Basilica of
Our Lady of the Rosary ("Basilica Antiga") built between 1928 and 1953 and visited by pilgrims. In the foreground are three
shepherd children from left to right Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto (based on a photograph
taken in 1917) to whom it is said the virgin Mary appeared on the 13th of May 1917 in Cova da Iria
near Fatima. The Marto brother and sister died in 1919 and 1920 respectively as victims of the flu pandemic. Lúcia
dos Santos became a nun ‐ she wrote the Three Secrets of Fatima and died in 2005. On the left is the sculpture
of Stephen I (969‐1038) standing on the colonnade of the basilica, he founded Hungary and was its first king from
1000 to 1038 ‐ venerated by the Roman Catholic Church and was canonized by Pope Gregory VII. At the top of the
motif are the words "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City), and below it on two lines "1917" and "FATIMA". On the right
the motif is the year of issue "2017" and on the left the initial "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto
Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome, below it is "O.ROSSI" the logo of the designer Orietta Rossi. Next to
it are the initials of Silvia Petrassi followed by "INC." = incisore / engraver. |
