CHRISTIAN SIMBOLOGY ON SLOVENIAN MEDIEVAL COINS (6th Part) 8. THE PRAYING VIRGIN Among the “Frisacensis” coins there is one, which on the obverse depicts a standing woman with a veil on her head and with her arms extended in the act...
moreCHRISTIAN SIMBOLOGY ON SLOVENIAN MEDIEVAL COINS (6th Part)
8. THE PRAYING VIRGIN
Among the “Frisacensis” coins there is one, which on the obverse depicts a standing woman with a veil on her head and with her arms extended in the act of praying. Above her hands, two six-pointed stars are engraved, while beside her feet there are two round objects. All around the figure appears the inscription + NAGEHTS. On the reverse of the coin is engraved a temple (or a church with a cross on the tympanum), while on the sides there are two large round objects and above them two eight-pointed stars. The temple is closed by a circular wall with a six-pointed star in the front. The coin is attributed to Agnes of Merania (+ 1263) and it is catalogued under L 150, Cna Ci 27, P 29. The article mentions all the authors, who have written about this coin so far: Luschin, Baumgartner, Travner, Mayreder, Pogačnik and Kos.
Agnes was born around 1215 from the marriage between Otto VII of Merania and Beatrice of Burgundy. When in 1228 the brother of Otto Henry IV of Merania died, Agnes inherited the vast possessions that his uncle had in the Carniola region. Agnes married the duke Frederick II of Austria from whom she divorced in 1243. After Frederick's death in 1246, she married in second marriage the duke Ulrich III of Carinthia.
Luschin had already noticed the similarity of this coin with a coin that was minted in Aquileia by the patriarch Bertold of Merania (B 16), which depicts the Virgin Mary with her hands raised in the act of praying. Several other numismatics believe that the coin depicts the duchess Agnes instead. Alessandro Ruggia has carried out a great study on the coin of Aquileia and has demonstrated that the figure with the arms extended in the act of praying is truly the Holy Virgin. On Agnes’ “Frisacensis” coin the Virgin Mary is represented differently from the one minted in Aquileia, since on the first one she is depicted as standing and above her hands there are two six-pointed stars that might represent two stylized clypei similar to those, which are depicted on a famous marmoreal relief from the 12th century, which is still preserved and revered in the church of Santa Maria in Porto in Ravenna. To the sides of the Virgin Mary’s feet there are two small circular figures that some authors have interpreted as flowers. If that is true, then this representation would be similar to some medieval mosaics that depict several saints on bloomed fields, which symbolize heaven. The two circular figures could however represent also the edges of a great pillow on which the Virgin is seated. This type of pillow is visible on a seal of Agnes (fig. 9). Unfortunately, we haven’t found other similar coins with which we could have compared the “Frisacensis” coin in order to verify, if the coin depicts the Virgin Mary or the duchess Agnes. Although there are some seals on which Agnes is undoubtedly represented, she has never raised hands. In addition, we have to underline the fact, that on Agnes’ coin the woman’s head is covered by a veil that reminds us of the mahorion, the typical veil with which the Holy Virgin is always represented.
In the article we also try to interpret the figure on the reverse of the coin. The temple with a wall surrounding it could represent a hortus clausus or “closed garden”, which in the Middle Age was a typical depiction of the Virgin Mary. The enclosed garden refers to a passage of the Song of Songs, where it says: "A private garden you are, my sister, my bride, an enclosed garden, a fountain of my own" (Song of Songs 4, 12). This passage was taken by the Christians as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. In the Litany of the blessed Virgin Mary, she is also defined as the Tower of David, Ivory Tower, Gold House. The pictorial representations of the hortus clausus are generally newer (15th or 16th century), but earlier in the Middle Age the monasteries already knew the meaning of the closed garden. Another possible interpretation of the reverse of the coin could be that it represents Heavenly or New Jerusalem. This theme was very diffused in the Middle Age and often represented in churches. The theme is taken from the last book of the Bible or Revelation, where in the last chapters John describes New Jerusalem. John says that in New Jerusalem he didn't see the temple (Revelation, 21, 22), but on the coin a temple is clearly engraved. Actually, if we observe this temple close enough, we notice that the sides of its walls are slightly convex. This is rather strange, since the engraver could have represented the temple with straight walls. Maybe, the engraver wanted to represent a large tent, as those that were used by important dignitaries during their journeys, and were similar to large pagodas. The reason for this representation is always to be found in the Revelation: "God's dwelling place is now among the people" (Revelation 21, 3) where the word "dwelling place" should be literally translated with "tent". On the reverse of the coin we also notice two large round objects placed to the sides of the image that could represent two trees. In the Revelation’s description of New Jerusalem we find that "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22, 2). The figure on the reverse of this coin could very well represent New Jerusalem.
The last chapters of the article are focused on the reasons that may have led Bertold and Agnes to mint on their coins the Praying Virgin. From an iconographic point of view the Virgin Mary is certainly one of the most represented motives in Christianity. The reason why the Virgin Mary was represented on the coins of Bertold and Agnes is that she was the most revered saint and protector in Christianity. As for the coin of Aquileia, Ruggia suggests that the patriarch perhaps wanted to stop the penetration in Istria of the Venetian silver coins (called grossi or matapan). Moreover, Ruggia suggests that this was due to the fact that in 1230-31 the patriarch Bertold went to Ravenna, where he had the opportunity to revere a famous marmoreal relief of the Praying Virgin in the church of Saint Maria in Porto. Maybe, another reason that led Bertold and Agnes to represent the Virgin Mary on their respective coins, was the terrible Mongolian invasion of Hungary. In 1241, the Mongols invaded and destroyed Hungary and tried to capture king Andrew II, who was the nephew of patriarch Bertold and the cousin of Agnes. Bertold tried to set up a crusade against the Mongols. Some people interpreted the bloody Mongolian invasion as the beginning of the end of the world. Bearing this in mind, it is possible that Bertold and Agnes depicted the Virgin Mary on their coins as the protector of humanity. Also the reverse of the coin of Agnes, which may depict New Jerusalem, could refer to this terrible invasion, especially if we consider a passage from the Revelation of apostle John, where the eschatological fight is described and Heavenly Jerusalem is mentioned: "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." (Revelation 20, 7-9). Suddenly, the Mongols withdrew, following the news of the death of their khan and didn't return ever again. The Praying Virgin could have been depicted as a symbol of protection, which did save the patriarch and Agnes from the Mongolian invasion.
