The collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century left a political void in the west into which Frankish leaders quickly moved. One of the ways they sought legitimacy was to associate themselves with what they saw as residual Roman institutions, including the Roman Church. Clovis converted to Christianity in 496 and was hailed by Pope Anastasius as the great king of the Franks.

In subsequent years, as the Merovingians gave way to the Carolingians, Frankish rulers played an increasingly important role in the church, acting as protectors and reformers. This alliance between the Roman Church and Carolingian rulers reached an apex when Charlemagne was crowned Emperor by Pope Leo in Rome on December 23, 800. Charles was hailed “To Charles Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific emperor of the Romans, life and victory.”

As the alliance between the Carolingians and Rome grew stronger, church iconography began to show up on their coins, following a tradition also evident on Merovingian coins. Both Pepin the Short and Charlemagne used a cross on some of their coinage, Charlemagne much more systematically than Pepin. After his coronation (actually after 812) Charlemagne introduced a coinage with a very Roman obverse (bust crowned with a laurel wreath and the legend CARLVS IMP AVG) and a temple on the reverse (with variations of the outer legend PICTIANA RELIGIO). This is extremely rare coinage today. One widely used source notes only 15 examples in all the (European) collections he surveyed.

This introduced a type of coinage that continued in one form or another into the 14th century. Louis the Pious, Charlemagne’s most successful son, continued this tradition in his third coinage of 822. This coinage dropped the mint name and replaced it in the reverse legend, around a temple, with the words XPISTIANA RELIGIO, or ‘CHRISTIAN RELIGION.’ This is the most common type of Carolingian coinage and was minted over 18 years until Louis’ death in 840.

AR denier, L: 20.5mm, 1.62gr, R: 20mm, 1.71gr. Obv: A/+ HLVDOVVICVS IMP. (Louis empereur). Croix cantonnée de quatre besants.  Rev: R/XPISTIANA RELIGIO. (Religion chrétienne). Temple tétrastyle avec un fronton triangulaire sommé d'une croisette, une croix au centre posée sur deux degrés." Description from CGB catalogue Monnaies VIII item 1055. Louis took the mint name off his coins after 822 and standardized the coinage. These 'temple style' coins can't be identified by mint, but there are variations among them on the reverse. Roberts notes that "over 5000 specimans of this type have survived, making it the commonist in the Carolingian series." Roberts 1208;  MG 472 (the most common type. The R/MG concordance matches to R1216.); Depeyrot 8 A1 (p.41) and 1179 (sans atelier), (794 examples); Belaubre 58-60.

AR denier,  L: 19mm, 1.50gr., R: 20mm, 1.51gr. Obv. Obv: +HLVDOVVICVS IMP, central cross with four besants. Rev: +XPISTIANA RELIGIO, central temple with a large cross, spikes on vertical pillars. R1201v; MG 472; Dep 8 A1, 1179 (sans atelier); Bel 58-9. MEC 794 and similar.

AR denier, 20mm, 1.66gr. Obv: +HLVDOVVICVS IMP, central cross with four besants. Rev: +XPISTIANA RELIGIO, central temple set high in the field. R 1201; MG 472; Dep 8-A1, 1179 (794 examples), Bel 58-60.

(for a larger version click here)

AR denier, 21mm, 1.63gr. Obv: +HLVDOVVICVS IMP, central cross with dots in each quadrant. Rev: +XPISTIANA RELIGIO, dot in R of RELIGIO, central temple. MG 472, the most common type; Dep 8, A1 (794 examples as a general type. The Series F Milan ids as "lettres plus plates, croix pattees, globes in legends);" Bel 54-58; seller Pegasi id's as "Italian style; pellet in R," and cites MEC 971v. MEC (1:217) decribes coins of Milan as with "pellets between or inside letters as privy marks, a feature peculiar to this mint and found on Louis' Classes 1 and 2."

The temple motif appeared on the obole's of Louis the Pious as well as on his deniers.

AR obole, 16mm, 0.77gr.,  Fineness per thousand : +950°/oo. Obv: +NLVDOVVICVS IMP. Translation: (Louis, empereur). Description : Croix cantonnée de quatre besants. Rev: XPISTIANA RELICO. Translation : (Religion chrétienne). Description : Temple tétrastyle avec un fronton triangulaire sommé d'une croisette, une croix au centre posée sur deux degrés. CGB Monnaies IX #873 (description CGB); MG. 473; Roberts 1241; Depeyrot 8A2, 822-40, 1180 (no mint); Nouchy LP #7.

At least three of his four sons (Lothar, Pepin and Charles the Bald) continued this tradition on some of their coinage. Charles’ coinage showed an interesting diversity. Some of these temple coins followed his father’s tradition of omitting the mint name while others substituted the mint for the Christian religion legend. In fact, after Charles, in French coinage, while the temple design continues, the Christian religion legend was dropped. There was no longer any need to be so explicit that the crown was linked with the Church, this was now a given in Carolingian society, and the use of mint names allowed both quality control and a demonstration of the extent of royal domains.

AR denier 21mm, 1.45gr. Obv: +CARLVS REX FR, central cross with four besants. Rev: +XPISTIANA RELGIO, central temple. Dates between 840 -864 before the Edit of Pitres. R 1323; MG 1159; Dep 9 B1, 1189v (138 examples); MEC 846; not in Bel; Nouchy CB3. MEC (1:232) notes only 11 mints making the temple type identified themselves.

(for a larger version of this coin, click here)

AR denier, 21mm, 1.73gr. Obv: +CARLVS REX FR, central cross. Rev:+PARISII CIVITAS, central temple. R1313; MG 827; Dep 9,B-1, 762 (24 examples).

The coins from Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald often reflect very high quality and standards of workmanship. They, as Charlemagne, exercised strong control over the minting process in their lands. After Charles’ death in 877 the empire fragmented and the quality of all coins, including those with temple motifs, became poorer. This immobilized coin is late 10th century or later.

AR denier, 17mm., .97gr. Obv: +CARLVS REX, central cross. Rev: +BLE|ONIS (where | is an arrow pointing up), temple surmounted by cross, under temple H H/horizontal C. Mint is Lons-le-Saulnier.  R1726v cites as immobilized until 1100. MG1425 as an indeterminant mint; Dep 18-E1, 514B (numbering from the second edition -14 examples); not in Bel. Rather than a contemporary coin this is a more common immobilized one.

(for a larger image of this coin, click here)

AR denier, 18mm., 86gr. Obv: +CARLVS REX, central cross with four besants. Rev: +BLEOONIS, central temple over oval. Mint is Lons le Saulnier. 11th C. R1726; MG 1425v; Boud-; PdA-.

In Francia, or the territories that became France, the temple motif dropped out of the coinage until it was briefly revived by the 10th century ruler Lothar (954-986). His only temple coinage has the mint name, BITVRICES CIVITAS, or Bourges, as the legend. The temple itself became much cruder, as did the coinage in general. After this, it disappeared from royal French coinage.

AR denier, c. 960-980,  L:19mm, 1.16gr, R:20mm, 1.25gr. Obv: + LOTERIVS REX. (Lothaire, roi). Croix. Rev: BITVRICES CIVITAS. Mint is Cité de Bourges in Aquitaine. "Temple tétrastyle avec un fronton triangulaire sommé d'une croisette coupant la légende en haut, portant en cœur une croisette posée sur deux degrés. Frappe bien venue au droit. Tréflage au revers avec une petite tache à 5 heures." Description from CGB Monnaies VIII 1071. Roberts 1823; MG 1672; Dep 24 I1, #206, (310 examples); Prou 755; Bel 198.

While the temple disappeared, a church appeared on some of the coinage of Louis VI.

AR denier, 19mm, .98gr. Obv: +LVDOV-CVS REX, central church. Rev: DRVCAS CASTA (with the ‘S’ retrograde), central cross with symbol in two quadrants. Mint is Dreux. D 96; C 106A.

Meanwhile, the temple motif continued in the Lotharingia, in the coinage of Lothar I  and Lothar II, son and grandson respectively of Louis the Pious. It also survived in some of the Carolingian Germanic coinage. Louis the Child used the temple on his coinage.

(for a larger version of this coin, click here)

AR denier, 20mm, 1.24gr. Obv: HLOTHARIVS REX, central cross with four besants. Rev: VIRIDVN[VM] CIVIS, central temple. R1942; MG 1189; Dep 9B1, 1125 (11 examples); not in Bel. The latter two sources identify this as a scarce coin. From CGB 12/12/98 #671, The mint is Verdun and after the Treaty of 843 went to Lothaire (a son of Louis the Pious). After 855 it passed to his son Lothaire II. After 869 it reverted to Charles the Bald. The coin is from the Lotharingia, a territory stretching from the Low Countries to Italy. Lothaire II inherited the northern part of it. This coin is not actually a French royal, but Lothar's grandfather was and the territory was French royal after it reverted to CB.

When the dynasty changed in Germany, Rudollf III, Henry III, HRE, and Conrad II continued to use the temple on some of their coins. Earlier, Otto III had a different type of stylized temple on some of his coinage.  It also appeared in some 10th century Italian coinage in territories that had once been lands of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious.

AR denier, 20mm, 1.36gr. Obv: +RODVLFVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGVNVS, central temple. Mint is Lyon. Dep 536 (3 examples); Bel 989 (cites a weight of 1.26gr.); Prou 638 (cites a weight of 1.3gr.); PdA 5015 (weight 1.25gr.); Boud 1123; not in MEC, R.

AR denier, 21mm, 1.18gr. Obv: +HINRICVS REX MET, central temple. Rev: +DEODERICVS, central cross with four besants. This coin is weakly struck. Minted in Metz by Thierry II, brother in law of Henry II and archbishop of Metz. Boud 1611; seller (Hagadorn) id as Wendling/ll/D/c/7.

AR denier, 20mm, 1.15gr. Obv: +HEINRTCVS REX (S horizontal), central cross. Rev: RENA CIVITAS, central temple with ECCO through the middle. Mint is Regensburg. Bonhoff 1947 which also cites Hahn 27c. Dannenberg 1074. Seller (Elsen) cites D91-3b, Jeel 289.

AR denier, 19mm, 1.35gr. Obv: CONRADVS REX, central cross with PI/LI/GR/IM. The central letters are the name of the archbishop Pilgrim (1021-36). Rev: SANCTA COLONIA, central temple. Mint is Koln. Ex Chouin. Hav 22i (a source I've not seen).

AR denier, 18mm, 1.43gr. Obv: +CHVOURADVS IMP, central cross and four besants. Rev: NNAPCHE, central temple with COL/./NIA on two lines in the center. Mint is Cologne. Bonhoff 1555 which cites Hav 251.

Back in France the temple motif also persisted in feudal coinage.  Richard I of Normandy, grandson of the founding Norman duke Rollo, used a variety of temple images. Some of these diverged significantly from the recognizable Carolingian temple. Several of these degenerate versions were common in the Fecamp hoard.

AR denier, 21mm, 1.155g. Obv: RICARDVS,  central + with four besants. Rev: ROTOMACVS, with 'c' on its side, central temple avec besant au center du fronton. Mint is Rouen. Dumas 773-2669. There were 46 of these coins in the 1.15 weight category, of a total of 332 of all Richard types in this weight category. This is the most common of the Fecamp coins. This was identified as 'ex Fecamp.' Not in R, PdA.

The motif appeared in 11th C Swiss coinage (although this was French influence at the time).

AR denier, 17mm, .9gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS IMP, central cross with four besants. Rev: +XPIANA RELIOIO, central temple over two bars. 11th C. Mint Abbey of St. Maurice d'Agaune.Imitating Louis the Pious. The abbey is located in Switzerland. It is in the SW corner of the country in Valais. R4887 matches the reverse. Looking for help cataloguing this coin.

The temple motif continued into the 14th century. One of the later examples is from the bishops of Lausanne.

AR denier, 16mm. Obv: +SEDES LAVSANE, temple over three annelets. Rev: +CIVITAS EQ'SRIV, central cross. R4486; Boud 1188, not in PdA.

For the collector, the temple coins of Louis the Pious are among the most common. Later feudal coins vary in rarity and price. Of late, there have been a number of 14th century versions available from different sources. As a fairly diffuse series, these coins are an interesting continuation of the earlier Roman coins that feature the temple motif. It is interesting that while the design remained recognizable from empire (Roman) to empire (Carolingian and thereafter), the meaning changed significantly.

Sources

Depeyrot, Georges. Le Numeraire Carolingien. Paris: Maison Florange, 1998.

Dunbabin, Jean. France in the Making: 843-1180. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 2000

Morrison, Karl F and Grunthal, Henry. Carolingian Coinage. New York: The American Numismatic Society, 1967.

Roberts, James. The Silver Coins of Medieval France. South Salem, New York: Attic Books, 1996.