5 euro AG 2025 proof The Twelve Apostles: St. Matthew

The 5-euro silver coin issued by the Vatican City State in the first year of pontificate of Leo XIV, and part of the series of coins dedicated to the twelve apostles, pays homage to Saint Matthew the Evangelist, author of the first of the four canonical Gospels and a central figure in Christian tradition. he obverse features the papal coat of arms of Leo XIV, accompanied by the inscription ‘LEONE XIV PP. ANNO I – MMXXV’, which identifies the first year of the new pontificate and establishes the chronological date of issue. The reverse features a refined iconographic depiction of Saint Matthew at the moment of divine inspiration. The evangelist is shown listening intently to the angel, his traditional symbolic attribute, who is dictating the sacred text to him. The composition emphasises the relationship between the writer’s human dimension and the supernatural dimension of Revelation. Matthew, focused and absorbed, transcribes the words into the open book before him, holding a pen that becomes an instrument for spreading the Gospel message. The angel, the evangelist’s distinctive symbol, evokes the opening words of the Gospel of Matthew and the theme of the Incarnation, highlighting the link between heaven and earth that characterises his narrative. The visual dialogue between the two figures lends dynamism to the scene and conveys a sense of the divine inspiration that guides the writing of the sacred text.