Silver denier of the church of Rouen (northern Gaul), bearing the name of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). Late 7th c.
Evidence ID
E08389
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Inscribed objects
Silver denier
On one face the coin bears the inscription:
+S-CE MARIE RO
This has been interpreted as meaning: 'Of Saint Mary Rouen' (Latin Rotomagus)
Text: Pilet-Lemière 1990, 66.
Source
This silver denier was discovered near Troyes in the 1980s. On the other face it bears the name of the moneyer: + [ ]CHOALDO MOThe coin is datable by its type and style to the late 7th century and can plausibly be attributed to the episcopal mint of Rouen, both through the letters RO (for Rotomagus), and because the name of the moneyer could well be a rendering of 'Chagnoaldus mo(netarius)', an attested moneyer at Rouen in this period, whose name appears on gold tremisses.
Discussion
The coin shows that Mary was the patron of the bishopric (and cathedral) of Rouen in the late 7th century. This is known from written evidence only somewhat later.Bibliography
Editions:Chevallier, R. and others, "Trouvailles récentes de monnaies mérovingiennes dans le départment de l'Aube," Bulletin de la Société française de Numismatique, 43:6 (June 1988), 384-390, at 389.
Pilet-Lemière, J., "Les monnayages ecclésiastiques," Les dossiers d'Archéologie, 144 (Jan. 1990), 66-67.
Record Created By
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Date of Entry
07/02/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Maria | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Bryan Ward-Perkins, Cult of Saints, E08389 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08389