Chapelle de Bethléem Gargoyle Type VIII – 1 Troy Ounce Silver Round

Explore the Gargoyles of the World collection

LOCATION: THE CHAPELLE DE BETHLÉEM, Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau, France

A small French chapel offers a striking reminder that Gothic imagination did not end in the Middle Ages. Type VIII in Intaglio Mint’s Gargoyles of the World collection features a figure from the Chapelle de Bethléem at Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau, bringing architectural fantasy to one troy ounce of .999 fine silver.

An Old Chapel with a Continuing Story

Located near Nantes in Loire-Atlantique, the chapel combines the expressive details of Gothic architecture with a remarkable history of restoration. Ribbed vaulting, substantial buttresses, and decorative stonework give the building a presence larger than its modest scale might suggest.

Its pinnacles were destroyed in 1877. During restoration in 1993–1995, they were reconstructed with contemporary decoration, adding a new chapter to the building’s visual history. That intervention is part of what makes the chapel so interesting: restoration became an opportunity for fresh imagination as well as architectural repair.

The site’s unusual creatures belong to a broader tradition in which carved figures animate rooflines, corners, and projecting stonework. Strictly speaking, a gargoyle carries water away from a building, while a chimera or grotesque may be purely ornamental. The collection’s familiar gargoyle title embraces that larger world of fantastic architectural sculpture.

This round offers a way to appreciate the character of one such figure apart from its elevated setting. The accompanying location photograph connects the silver interpretation to the chapel that inspired it.

Obverse Design

A depiction of a gargoyle at the Chapelle de Bethléem forms the central design, translating its sculptural character into the round’s circular format.

Reverse Design

Gothic window frames circle the outer edge around “GARGOYLES OF THE WORLD.” A small gargoyle perches on the “O” in the central lettering, with the hallmark 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