Subject of the commemorative coin:
 750th anniversary of the death of Thomas Aquinas

 Description of the design:
 This year marks the 750th anniversary of the death of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Roccasecca 1225 ca - Fossanova 1274). The Vatican Mint is dedicating the bimetallic 2 euro coin to the anniversary. On the reverse of the 2 euro coin, artist Arianna Ciccone shows Saint Thomas Aquinas in the foreground, dressed in the habit of the Dominican Order to which he belonged. In his left hand he holds a volume of his most important work, the “Summa Theologica”, and in the other hand a quill. On the Saint’s chest, a radiant sun stands out, a symbol of his great wisdom. Of the various titles he received, the one he is best known for is that of “Angelic Doctor”, which we see quoted below and which celebrates his exceptional purity of soul and body. In the background on the left are a lily, a symbol of chastity, and the Church of Saint Thomas in Roccasecca, the first religious building in the world in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas, declared a saint by Pope John XXII on July 18, 1323.