| Description : The motif depicts Pope John Paul II (1920‐2005) in
front of a laurel branch and behind the parish church of Ofiarowania Najświętszj Maryi Panny in the
Polish town of Wadowice together with the house where he was born, which is now a museum. A brick church built around 1450,
destroyed in the town fire of 1726, was replaced in 1792‐1798 by a late Baroque basilica ‐ dedicated to the
Offering of the Virgin Mary ‐ where Karol Józef Voijtyła was baptised. The eight‐pointed star
emblazoned on the coin is considered the supreme allegory of Christ, a physical representation of the concept of divinity
and truth, and at the same time it symbolises the Virgin Mary, to whom John Paul II dedicated his pontificate. Since
an eclipse occurred on the day of his birth (a partial one, in Australia), as well as on the day of his funeral (a hybrid
one, in Panama / Colombia / Venezuela), the star also represents an eclipsed sun by concentric segments of a circle. Above
the star is "PAPA GIOVANNI PAOLO II" (Pope John Paul II), on the right "1920" the year of his birth and "2020"
the year of issue, together with the initial "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello
Stato in Rome. At the bottom, is the country of issue "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City), and above it the
Logos "G. TITOTTO" of the designer Gabriella Titotto and "M.A.C. INC." (INC. = incisore / engraver) of the
engraver Maria Angela Cassol. |
