Albania Coin 50 Leke, 2011. Bible Codex Purpureus Beratinus 043 Φ. BU UNC Silver

Obverse: The face value “50 lek” is incscribed at the centre of the coin with characters taken from the Codex. The UNESCO emblem “Memorie Du Monde” is depicted above it. Two purple s divide the inscriptions “Kodiku i Purpurt i Beratit 043” from “Beratinus –1”, written along the marginal circle.

Reverse: “Shqipëri – Albania” is inscribed on the upper margin. The year of issue “2011” is inscribed on the lower margin, on a bacground of cocentric circles. Verses from the Codex appear at the center of the coin, raised into a relief on a purple background. The letters of the Codex are written in silver; two of them are written in gold

On the theme: “Codex Purpureus Beratinus 043 Φ”

Codex Purpureus Beratinus is one of the most valuable items Albania has inherited from the Middle Ages. According to the Chronicle of Skuripeq, the Codex had been in Berat since 1356. The locals had saved the codex from the hands of a number of aggressors by hiding it in the tower of the castle, along with 25 other books.

For almost five centuries, nothing had been heard of the this Codex until 1868, when the bishop of Berat Metropolis, Anthimis Alexoudes, mentioned three purple codices that were found in the castle of Berat. Thereafter, the codex recaptured the attention of the scholars and the general public. According to the tradition, the codex was concealed in times of peril (war or occupation) and the hiding place was not given in until the restoration of peace. Hence, the codex remained in Berat and survived intensive efforts by various armies to seize it, throughout the centuries. We do not know when the codex was last hidden, but in July 1968 it was discovered in an undercroft in the sanctuary of the Dormition of the Theotokos (present-day Onufri museum) in the castle of Berat. The codex was in poor conditions due to moisture. In 1971, it was restored by the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Science and, upon return to Albania, was sent to at the Albanian National Archive, which houses it to date.

Codex Purpureus Beratinus is part of the Codices of Albania Fund (F 488) of the Albanian National Archives, File 1. It is also referred to as Beratinus Purpureus Φ 043. The codex comprises 190 pages, 230 x 215 mm and contains the text of the Gospels according to Saint Matthew and Saint Mark. The text is written on purple parchment (significantly deteriorated). Each page has the text written in two columns with 17 verses each. The letters are written in silver instead of common ink but the nomina sacra are written in gold. The first verse of the Gospel according to Saint Mark is also written in gold. The manuscript is written in majuscules. The only decor of the Codex is found on page 112, at the end of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. The decor depicts a drawing in the shape of a portico, heading towards the right side. The portico’s stripes are filled with zigzag and ornate motifs. The codicological traits suggest that the Codex dates in the VI century, enlisting it among the five purple codices from this century. The place of its production, according to Codex data, is believed to be Constantinople or some other centre for producing Byzantine imperial books.

Beratinus-1 is the oldest historical document conserved in Albania. As a precious item and living testimony of Christianity in Albania, this Codex has singular values that connect the country’s present to the past and contribute substantially to the cultural continuity of Albanians throughout the centuries.
Considered as an object of unique values in historic and cultural terms for Albania and the world, Codex Purpureus Beratinus 1 was inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2005.

Coins are produced from "Royal Canadian Mint", Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.