2026 France €1/4 BU Coin - UNESCO: Longmen Grottoes

• Mint: Monnaie de Paris
• Denomination: €1/4
• Quality: BU
• Issue limit: 200,000 pcs.
• Alloy: Base metal
• Diameter: 34 mm
• Weight: 15.8 g
• Box/Capsule: No/No
• Certificate: No

Additional Information

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Since 1945, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has been listing sites as "World Heritage". The aim of this programme is to classify, name and conserve cultural or natural properties of importance to the common heritage of humanity.

The Longmen Grottoes, located near the city of Luoyang in Henan Province, China, are one of the largest collections of Buddhist rock art in the country. Their name, "Longmen", means "Dragon Gate", in reference to the Xiang Shan and Longmen Shan mountains that frame the site. Carved into the cliffs along the Yi River, they comprise more than 2,300 caves and niches, housing approximately 100,000 statues, 2,800 inscriptions and 60 stupas (Buddhist monuments designed to contain relics, commemorate religious events or symbolise Buddhist doctrine). Their construction spanned several centuries, from the 5th to the 10th century, mainly during the Northern Wei, Tang and Song dynasties. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, the Longmen Grottoes bear witness to the artistic, religious and political wealth of ancient China.

On the obverse, we can see a representation of Buddha Vairocana, one of the main statues in the Longmen Grottoes. He embodies universal cosmic wisdom. In the background are the Longmen Grottoes: a series of niches and sculptures symbolizing the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The reverse is common to all the coins in the UNESCO series. It depicts the globe with parallels and meridians and inscriptions of major UNESCO World Heritage sites. The inscriptions are engraved in stone, echoing the Rosetta Stone.