Original scientific paper
Jubilee medals
Ana Azinović Bebek
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Medals bearing representations of the Holy Door or the Holy Stairs on either the obverse or reverse belong to jubilee production and originate from the Roman mint. The Holy Door is situated on the right side of the vestibule of St. Peter’s Basilica, as are the Holy Doors of the other three papal basilicas in Rome: St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta) are part of the old Lateran complex and lead to the Chapel of the Sancta Sanctorum, the former papal chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence. To date, a total of 34 jubilee medals have been discovered in Croatia. All specimens are cast
and exhibit a high level of craftsmanship. Nineteen are oval in shape, seven octagonal, seven circular and one leaf-shaped. Their dimensions range from 10 × 13 mm to 39.5 × 25.5 mm. None of the medals bear signatures. These medals are encountered relatively rarely in the literature, most often in combination with St. Peter and St. Paul, Christological or Marian themes, St. Joseph or St. Benedict. They also occur alongside references to certain pilgrimage sites, such as Loreto and Częstochowa,
or to Marian devotions, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Annunciation. Consequently, these medals cannot be regarded as belonging exclusively to the Roman pilgrimage repertoire. Nevertheless, jubilee medals are generally interpreted as indirect material evidence of pilgrimages to Rome.
Keywords
medals; pilgrimages; Rome, Jubilee; Holy Door; Holy Stairs
Hrčak ID:
353313
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2025.
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