Sacré Coeur Pig Gargoyle Type IV – 1 Troy Ounce Silver Round
Explore the Gargoyles of the World collection
LOCATION: SACRÉ COEUR, Paris, France
A pig may be an unexpected subject on a Parisian basilica, but that surprise is part of the appeal of this Type IV design. Intaglio Mint’s Sacré Coeur Pig round draws attention to a small architectural character easily overlooked beneath the celebrated domes of Montmartre.
A Detail Beyond the Famous Skyline
The first stone of the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur was laid in 1875. Its consecration followed on October 16, 1919, more than forty years later. Those dates place the building in the modern era, even though its religious imagery and monumental architecture draw on much older traditions.
Animal carvings can add both personality and symbolic meaning to sacred buildings. The interpretation accompanying this design associates the pig outside the church with human failings and the purification of the heart, recalling the teaching in Mark 7:15 and 7:21–22. In that reading, the creature forms part of the building’s religious language rather than simply providing an amusing ornament.
The silver round invites a closer look at that meeting of architecture and imagination. Instead of repeating the familiar distant view of the basilica, it singles out one of its unusual details and gives it the entire field of the design.
Obverse Design
The pig from the exterior of Sacré-Cœur is depicted against distressed, textured masonry. “SACRÉ COEUR” appears around the outer circumference near ten o’clock, identifying the Paris landmark that inspired the piece.
Reverse Design
The shared collection reverse features Gothic window frames around “GARGOYLES OF THE WORLD.” A gargoyle sits on the “O” in “GARGOYLES,” while the hallmark occupies the lower circumference at six o’clock.
Specifications
- Weight: 1.00 troy ounce
- Thickness: 3.10 mm
- Purity: .999 fine silver
- Edge: Reeded
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
