2020 - Niue 2 NZD Set of Three Silver Coins St. Ludmila - Proof

Product description

The sets of the Czech Mint, consisting of silver mintages beautified by selective gilding, are traditionally devoted to religious themes that build an integral part of our history. This trio of coins pays homage to Saint Ludmila.

When Ludmila, the daughter of a pagan magnate from Pšov, married the Přemyslid prince Bořivoj I, she certainly had no idea that a new stage in the history of Central Europe began. She took baptism along with her husband and brought a new faith to Bohemia, where the Přemyslid dynasty ruled. It did not take long to forget the Slavic gods, and she dedicated her life to care for neighbor in the spirit of Christianity introduced by the apostle Methodius. The always equable and fair woman was particularly famous for her kindness and generosity to the poor and infirm people, the widows, the orphans,… The fate of her daughter-in-law, married to her son Vratislaus, was initially similar. Drahomíra came from a pagan tribe of the Polabic Slavs and was baptized after the wedding, however, Christ did not soften her heart. When Duke Vratislaus died, Drahomíra became a protector of the country after a tribal assembly resolution because her sons were not of age. However, the magnates entrusted the grandmother Ludmila with the education of the grandsons - Wenceslas and Boleslav, which affected Drahomíra very much. Ludmila diverged with her mother-in-law in political opinions and she was jealous of her popularity enjoyed by the future Prince Wenceslas and the whole nation. Drahomíra hired two murderers to strangle Ludmila to get rid of her influence. However, the martyrdom ensured Ludmila immortality. Wenceslas did not forget the grandmother who raised him and began to build her cult. She was sanctified eventually …

Medal maker Lenka Nebeská, DiS., dedicated the reverse sides of the individual coins to depiction of Ludmila in three roles. Firstly, she appears as the wife of Bořivoj I, when she brought Christianity to Bohemia. Secondly, she is depicted as the grandmother, who raised St. Wenceslas to be an example of the Czech ruler. Thirdly, she appears as the first Czech and Slavic saint woman. All three coins have a common obverse side - its perimeter presents the scarf that Ludmila was strangled with. Because the Czech Mint coins are issued with a foreign license of the island of Niue, the obverse side bears the name and the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the nominal value of 2 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of the issue 2020.

Three coins are stored in a luxurious wooden box.