2024 Silver Proof €10 - NOTRE-DAME

In 2024, on the reopening to the public of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after five years of restoration, the Monnaie de Paris is partnering with this masterpiece of Gothic architecture to strike a collection of outstanding coins.

Since the Middle Ages, cathedral builders have been a legend of craftsmanship, their feats shaping the history of construction and architecture. This collection fosters a true dialogue between the numismatic and heritage sectors. Each institution contributes its own history, its trades, and its ancestral techniques passed down through the centuries.

The obverse of this exceptional coin depicts Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in its purest form. Rather than simply using a rectangular format, however faithful to the building, the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) chose to pay homage to the cathedral's Gothic style by incorporating the contours of a pointed arch window adorned with quatrefoils. The reconstructed spire by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc forms the mullion of the window and fits perfectly within the dynamic design, revealing at its summit the new rooster statue created during the reconstruction project. 

The pointed arch bay is also an evocation of the cathedral's stained-glass windows, another distinctive feature of the Gothic architectural style. The coin's face value is inscribed on the cathedral's façade, as is the year commemorating the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris to the public. 

The reverse side allows us to enter the cathedral. Here we discover the completely renovated choir, revealing the new liturgical furnishings in the nave. Overlooking the vaults, the Notre-Dame roof frame is inserted into the top of the mullion and reveals a complex interlocking of trusses, triangular wooden structures that support the cathedral's roof. The roof frame here is a faithful representation of the new one, itself rebuilt identically and with the same expertise as the building's original framework.