On Monday, 30 September, the Bank of Latvia issues a gold collector coin dedicated to the Lestene Church. The coin is not a memorial to a lost masterpiece; rather, it is an appeal to the public at large and each of its members individually to help Latvia regain its most outstanding Baroque Church and heal the deep wounds caused in Lestene by the war and Soviet power.

The graphic design of the coin "Oh, Holy Lestene!" is created by Laimonis Šēnbergs, and Ligita Franckeviča is the author of the plaster model. The coin was struck by Lietuvos monetų kalykla. It features an angel's head and an acanthus leaf design, two elements of the church altar. The gold coin serves as a reminder of the outstanding artistic value of the Lestene Church and symbolically reflects the magnificence of gilded wood carvings created by Nicolaus Söffrens, Jr.

The Lestene Church was once the most spectacular historic religious building in the Latvian countryside. The power of art, spirituality and music was so impressive that the churchgoers often dropped to their knees calling out: "Oh, holy Lestene!" This expression of utmost surprise, excitement and elation, always related to the Lestene Church, has become part of the Latvian oral tradition.

The Church was seriously damaged during the war, when in February 1945 its spire was burnt down and the altar was shelled. In the post-war period, the Church was systematically demolished; finally, owing to Jurģis Skulme, an artist, the sculptures were saved.

Since 2002, the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Lestene has been gradually repairing the church building which yet has to be completed, and the carved furnishings are to be moved back to the church and restored. In 2012, the confessional adorned with carvings returned to the church, and the Baroque pews have been restored. The work is being financed through donations and small project funding. By issuing the collector coin "Oh, Holy Lestene!" the Bank of Latvia is appealing to the public to help in the restoration of the church building.

The collector coin "Oh, Holy Lestene!" is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia. The maximum mintage of the coin is limited to 5 000.

Face value: 1 lats
Weight: 1.2442 g; diameter: 13.92 mm
Metal: gold of .9999 fineness; quality: proof
Struck in 2013 by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla (Lithuania)
Artists: Laimonis Šēnbergs (graphic design), Ligita Franckeviča (plaster model)

Obverse
An acanthus leaf design from the side decor of the altar of the Lestene Church is featured in the centre, with the inscriptions LATVIJA 2013 on the left and 1 LATS in its lower part.

Reverse
The head of an angel from the church altar occupies the lower part of the reverse, with the inscription AK, SVĒTĀ LESTENE! (OH, HOLY LESTENE!) semi-circled above it.

Source of information: Bank of Latvia www.bank.lv