€2 commemorative coins - Vatican City 2005, 20th World Youth Day held in Cologne in August 2005.
Commemorative 2 euro coins from Vatican City
Subject of commemoration: 20th World Youth Day held in Cologne in August 2005
Description of the design: Depicted in the centre of the coin is the Cathedral of Cologne with a comet passing by above. The words ‘XX GIORNATA MONDIALE DELLA GIOVENTÙ’ are inscribed along the upper edge of the central part, separated by the tail of the comet and two of the cathedral’s spires, one of which extends into the coin’s outer ring. Twelve stars are depicted in a semicircle along the upper part of the outer ring, separated at the top by the year of issue (2005) and the mintmark ‘R’. Below the central image of the cathedral, the words ‘CITTÀ DEL VATICANO’ form a semicircle in the outer ring.
Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)
Issuing volume: 100,000 coins
Issue date: 06.12.2005
Face value: 2 euro
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Weight: 8.50 g
Alloy: Bimetal: CuNi, nordic gold
Quality: Proof, BU, UNC
Design: The sculptor, Daniela Longo, is credited with the design and Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini is credited as the engraver for the Vatican 2005 €2 Euro Commemorative coin.
Designer / Engraver Inscriptions: Last name of the designer - 'LONGO'., Initials of the engraver - 'ELF INC.' (INC. is the Italian abbreviation for 'engraver').
€2 Edge Inscription: The Vatican €2 coin edge inscription is '2', followed by one star, repeated six times alternately upright and inverted.
Mint Location: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS) (State Printing Office and Mint), in Rome, Italy.
Mint Marks: Mintmark of the Rome mint: the letter 'R'. Located at the top, outer circle, above the date stamp.
National Identification: Text: 'CITTÀ DEL VATICANO'; Local long form of Vatican City.
World Youth Day 2005
The 20th World Youth Day 2005 was a Catholic youth festival that started on August 16 and continued until August 21, 2005 in Cologne, Germany. It was the first World Youth Day and foreign trip of Pope Benedict XVI, who joined the festival on August 18. This meeting was decided by the previous pope, John Paul II, during the Toronto World Youth Day of 2002. The theme was "We have come to worship Him" (from Matthew 2:2).About 400,000 young people from 200 countries attended during the week, and more than 1,000,000 came for the weekend. They were joined by about 600 bishops and cardinals, as well as by 6,600 reporters.
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) (Latin: Ecclesia Cathedralis Sanctorum Petri et Mariae, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Petrus, English: High Cathedral of St. Peter) is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.On 18 August 2005, Pope Benedict XVI visited the cathedral during his apostolic visit to Germany, as part of World Youth Day 2005 festivities. An estimated one million pilgrims visited the cathedral during this time. Also as part of the events of World Youth Day, Cologne Cathedral hosted a televised gala performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Choir conducted by Sir Gilbert Levine.