10 euro – Melk Abbey

The new 10 Euro silver commemorative coin to be issued on 18th April, 2007, shows a view up to the façade of the abbey church and its two imposing side wings from the level of the town below. One sees the twin baroque towers and the great dome of the church behind them. Below to the right is the coat-of-arms of the Abbey of Melk – the crossed keys of St. Peter. The reverse side of the coin gives a view up into the great central dome of the church; a vision of heaven, painted by Johann Michael Rottmayr. The three-dimensional effect created by the artist-engraver is heightened by the Melker Cross in the foreground. This precious reliquary from the Melk treasury is a 14th century work of art in gold and precious stones housing a fragment of the True Cross of Christ.