2021-12-09 Thu

The Polish central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski, issued a 20-zloty note on 12th April 2016 for the 1,050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland.

The baptism in 966 of the pagan ruler at the time, Prince Mieszko I, is considered by Poles to mark the creation of the Polish state. By receiving baptism Mieszko established Poland’s place as a member of Christian Europe. He protected it from forced Christianization and unified the state. The Catholic Church calls the event more than the baptism of a man, but also of the nation, in that Poland became part of a new world with new cultures, institutions, and laws that affected all aspects of life — political, economic, and cultural.

The face of the note has side-by-side busts of Mieszko I and his wife, the Czech princess Dobrawa, whom he married in 965. It is based on drawings in the National Museum in Wroclaw. The back shows images of the Gniezno Cathedral and the chalice from Trzemeszno. The temple was first built by Mieszko and became the coronation site for a number of Polish kings. The chalice, dating to the 10th century, is considered one of Poland’s most precious liturgical objects.

Image Courtesy: coinworld.com