The Patron Saint of Minters
Saint Eligius

A man of many talents, the patron saint of minters, goldsmiths and coin collectors, Saint Eligius, is depicted on our divinely decorative commemorative medal wearing bishop’s robes while minting coins.

Born near Limoges, France, in ca AD 589 and apprenticed to the master of the Limoges Mint from an early age, Eligius learnt his trade as a goldsmith and minter before entering the service of the royal treasurer in Paris. His ability and honesty made such an impression on Chotar II that the Merovingian king eventually made Eligius himself the royal treasurer. A devout Christian, Eligius used his own wealth to found convents and monasteries, help the poor and free slaves. Ordained a priest in AD 641 and subsequently made Bishop of Noyon-Tournai, Eligius converted large swathes of Flanders to Christianity until his death in AD 660.

A popular saint in the Middle Ages, Eligius struck many Merovingian coins bearing the “Eligius cross”, a particular type of anchor cross, which appears on the medal’s reverse. The feast day of Saint Eligius is 1 December.