2017-08-26 Sat

The 300th anniversary of the coronation of the Icon of Our Lady of Cz?stochowa was celebrated with the issue of a 20-zloty banknote by Poland on 21st August. 55,000 notes were released in total and its issue price was 60 z?otych. The first collectible banknote of Poland was released in 2006 to commemorate Pope John Paul II of Poland. This one would be the ninth one issued by the country.

Polish rulers and commoners have a lot of respect for the Virgin Mary who is depicted on a 4-foot-high painting in the Jasna Góra Monastery in Czestochowa. It is believed that the icon helped its devotees in 1655 during a long war against Sweden. 70 monks and 180 volunteers of the monastery defended Jasna Góra from an army of 4,000 Swedes for 40 days.

King John Casimir swore an oath to Mary on 1st April 1656 at Lvov cathedral. The entire kingdom was put under her protection and declared her Queen of the Polish Crown. The Swedes were defeated in 1657 and their Russian allies were also defeated in 1661.

The coronation of the icon was called The Black Madonna of Cz?stochowa, on 8th September 1717. A Holy Virgin painting in Poland was coronated for the first time and it was also for the first time that a Papal coronation of any painting of Mary took place outside Italy. Pope Clement XI gave the crowns on behalf of the pope by Bishop Szembek and the Pauline monks. The event was attended by 200,000 pilgrims.

The obverse of the note depicts the crowns given by the pope. Virgin Mary’s crown with stars is above Jesus’ crown supported by two angels each. Security features include a Marian monogram in a see-through register under Jesus’ crown. The coat of arms of the Pauline Fathers is a raven holding bread in its beak over two lions supporting a palm tree. This is also the watermark on the banknote.

The reverse features a 1717 drawing featuring the coronation event, a drawing of the Jasna Góra Monastery and a floral motif from the icon’s frame.