103177 | ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Pius XII silver Medal.

103177  |  ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Pius XII silver Medal. Issued 1949/Year XI. Commemorating the defense of the Catholic faith against communism (44mm, 39.11 g, 12h). By Aurelio Mistruzzi at the Rome mint.

 

PIVS • XII • PONTIFEX • MAXIMVS • AN • XI, bust left, wearing zucchetto, stole, and pallium // DEFENSIO • FIDEI • CATHOLICAE, radiant female personification of the Catholic Church seated facing on throne, holding long cross and Gospels; in foreground, armored angels standing facing, heads turned slightly inward, holding shields respectively inscribed VERITAS (truth) and IVSTITIA (justice). Edge: Plain.

 

Bartolotti E949; Rinaldi 143; Cusumano-Modesti 66; Ehling/Ernesti 38. Gem Mint State. Stunningly brilliant and prooflike, with enchanting frosting upon the devices.

 

Evocative of Mustruzzi's Fascist style, this medal takes aim at the perceived threat of communism at the doorstep of the Vatican. As mentioned in Glänzende Propaganda, the parliamentary elections of 18 April 1948 saw the Democratic Popular Front, an electoral alliance between the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) and the Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) receive 31% of the vote, and along with it, 183 seats in the Italian parliament. In the post-war years, the political left and many within the Catholic ranks became intertwined, as can be seen in Giovannino Guareschi's Don Camillo novels, in which communism was portrayed, in the Church's eyes, in a positive light.

 

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Upload: 2 June 2025.