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1/2 Zecchino - Benedetto XIV REPENTE DE CAELO
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1740-1756 |
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| Value | 1/2 Zecchino (1.075) |
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| Obverse description | The allegorical figure of the Holy Mother Church is depicted seated upon billowing clouds in high relief, rendered in a vigorous Baroque style. She is shown turned slightly to the left, robed in flowing drapery, her head encircled by radiating rays of divine light forming a nimbus. In her right hand she holds a cross or standard, while her left hand grasps a model of a domed basilica, symbolising the Church's temporal and spiritual authority. The Latin legend BENED·XIV P·M, identifying Pope Benedict XIV as Supreme Pontiff, arcs along the left field, with the date 1743 appearing vertically along the right field. The coin's border is defined by a fine inner toothed or beaded rim. |
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| Obverse lettering | BENED·XIV P·M 1743 (Translation: Benedict 14th Supreme Pontiff) |
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| Additional information |
Benedetto XIV — Prospero Lambertini — was elected pope in 1740 after a conclave that deadlocked for six months, prompting him to reportedly warn the cardinals they were about to elect a saint, a fool, or himself. He proved to be none of the first two. His pontificate coincided with renewed pressure from Enlightenment critics of the Church, and Lambertini's response was unusual: he engaged them directly, corresponding with Voltaire and earning grudging respect across confessional lines. The REPENTE DE CAELO legend on this half zecchino places it within a specific devotional emission rather than routine coinage — a distinction that matters for attribution within the Munt sequence.