Bulgaria could become the first EU Member State to have a national saint as a motif on standard euro coins. Bulgaria's patron saint Ivan Rilski will appear on the 1 euro coin, and the Monk Paissi of Hilandar will appear on the 2 euro coin, the Bulgarian National Bank announced after completing the process of coordinating and approving the coin designs Kathpress reports, citing the portal “katholisch.de”.
Saint of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The two portrayed are saints of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian government intends for the country to join the eurozone in 2025. The introduction of the euro, already scheduled for 2024, had to be postponed due, among other things, to high inflation.
Ivan Rilski (876-946) was the first Bulgarian hermit and founded the country's largest monastery in the Rila Mountains. Since 1999 it has been represented on the 1 lew coin, which was valid until the introduction of the euro. Paissi of Hilandar (1722-1773) is considered his nation's first historian and pioneer of the Bulgarian National Renaissance of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ivan is represented on the coin with a habit, cross and halo; Paisi is not recognizable as a monk or saint. The planned 2 euro coin also bears the inscription “God save Bulgaria”.
Approved coin designs
In early February, the Council of the European Union approved the coin designs after receiving no objections from eurozone EU member states. In the past, coin designs with Christian motifs were only available on commemorative coins, but they also found reserves.
In 2013, Slovakia was only able to publish a 2-euro commemorative coin featuring the Slavic apostles Cyril and Methodius after a delay because France and Greece, among others, objected to the crosses and halos in the motif. Ultimately, the originally planned design was able to be shaped. In the same year, the European Commission rejected the proposal to represent Christ as Pantocrator on Andorra coins. In contrast, the Vatican also put a 2-euro coin featuring the statue of Christ into circulation in 2013 for World Youth Day in Rio.
Violations of the principle of religious neutrality
Objections to the coins of Andorra and Slovakia were based on violations of the principle of religious neutrality. The approval procedure for EU coins does not establish any content criteria, but gives EU Member States the opportunity to raise justified objections.
The only other national saint on euro coins is Saint Marino of Rimini, represented on the San Marino 20 cent coins. San Marino belongs to the eurozone, but is not a member of the EU. Vatican coins with the image of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) that were put into circulation during his lifetime and before his canonization are still valid. Religious motifs and buildings, as well as saints, can be found on several commemorative and collector's coins, including the Apostle Paul (Vatican, €2), the Irish Apostle Brendan (Ireland, €10) and Charlemagne (Germany, €2). .