The French Mint already issued this Europa 2010 - 200 € Gold Proof 1 Oz for the Europa series, its already sold out. Monnaie de Paris or The French Mint had issued a coin commemorating the 1 100th anniversary of the fouding of the Cluny Abbey which was one of the main intellectual and artistic centres of 12th century in Europe. It still exerts its influence today via 130 sites throughout Europe. The observe of the coin shows the goddess Europa and the 2010 yeardate. The reverse shows a view of the Cluny Abbey (when it was at the peak of its power) represented in the style of an old engraving seen from the apse side.
Europa (Greek Εὐρώπη) was a Phoenician woman of high lineage in Greek mythology, from whom the name of the continent Europe has ultimately been taken. The story of her abduction by Zeus in the form of a white bull was a Cretan story, as Kerényi points out "most of the love-stories concerning Zeus originated from more ancient tales describing his marriages with goddesses. This can especially be said of the story of Europa". The name Europa occurs in the list of daughters of primordial Oceanus and Tethys. The daughter of the earth-giant Tityas and mother of Euphemus by Poseidon was also named Europa.
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, department of Saône-et-Loire, France and was built in the Romanesque style. It was founded in 910 by William I, Count of Auvergne, who installed Abbot Berno and placed the abbey under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify the kind of religious life that was at the heart of 11th-century piety. The town of Cluny, in the modern department of Saône-et-Loire in the region of Bourgogne, in east-central France, near Mâcon, grew round the former abbey, founded in a forested hunting reserve.Specifications:
- Face Value: 200 Euro
- Weight: 31,104 gr = 1,10 oz
- Diameter: 37 mm = 1,45 inch
- Mintage: 500
- Metal: Gold 999/1000
- Quality: Proof
- Artist: Atelier de Gravure
Source: Monnaie de Paris
