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50 Hryven The Millennial Anniversary of Saint Sophia Cathedral Foundation
| Issuer | National Bank of Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Year | 2011 |
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| Value | 50 Hryven |
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| Obverse description | At the upper portion of the obverse, the Small State Coat of Arms of Ukraine is displayed above a semicircular legend reading НАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ БАНК УКРАЇНИ (National Bank of Ukraine). The central field features a detailed miniature architectural rendering of Saint Sophia Cathedral as it appeared in the 11th century, set against a depiction of the cathedral's characteristic cupolas. Above the architectural motif, the face value 50 ГРИВЕНЬ is inscribed against a background of ornamental patterns derived from the cathedral's interior murals. The coin's issue year 2011 appears in the lower field. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | НАЦІОНАЛЬНИЙ БАНК УКРАЇНИ 50 ГРИВЕНЬ 2011 |
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| Additional information |
Saint Sophia Cathedral was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in 1037 — not 1011, as Soviet-era scholarship long insisted. Ukraine's decision to anchor this coin to a 2011 millennial places the foundation a decade earlier, aligning with a strand of Ukrainian historiography that ties the cathedral's origins to Yaroslav's victory over the Pechenegs at Kyiv in that year. The dating remains contested among medievalists.
At 500 grams of .999 silver with selective gilding, this is unambiguously a prestige issue — one of the largest and most technically demanding in the National Bank's commemorative program to that point.