In memory of the Romanov Family, 1,000 francs CFA

On 17 July 1918, the last ruler of the House of Romanov Nicholas II was killed in Yekaterinburg with his entire family. Why did he have to die? After the outbreak of the February Revolution it became clear that the tsar and his loved ones could not be sure about their future. The Imperial Family, betrayed by many Russian general officers, has been imprisoned. Due to the manner in which the killings were conducted – brutally, in hiding and in haste – Nicholas II and his relatives have been recognized as the martyrs of the Orthodox Church. The truth about their murder, which shocked the entire world, should never have been revealed. In consequence, many years had passed until the Tsar and his relatives became depicted on the Orthodox icons. 

 

The coin’s reverse features the portrait of the Imperial Family imprinted on the coin’s surface with the use of colorful digital printing. Starting from the left side, we cans see the Duchess Maria, Tsarina Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexey, Duchesses Tatiana and Olga, Tsar Nicholas II and Duchess Anastasia. The portrait is infringed by an elegant ornament containing two coats of arms of Russia and a pearl. The obverse depicts the Church on Blood in Yekaterinburg, built on the site of the Ipatiev House where the execution of the imperial family took place. Next to it – monument to Tsar Nicholas II and his family located in front of the church.