Commemorative French Medals

From the early fifteenth century, French society has used medals to acknowledge and reward individual achievement and to commemorate important events. Derived from classic coins and hand cast in bronze or similar metal alloys, French medals celebrated the lives of rulers and courtiers, military leaders and statesmen, scholars, athletes and artists. Simply put, the medals served as visual reminders of great people and events.

Religious French medals began to emerge in the sixteenth century. They are usually metallic and generally round or oval shaped depicting the image of “Our Lord”, the “Blessed Mother” or another saint. They generally commemorate important spiritual places and events.