Euro: Spain cents

1 cent, 2005

2 cent, 2004

5 cent, 2005

The 1,2 and 5 cents show the facade of the cathedral of Santiago de Comppostela, which is the church in Spain.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

10 cent, 1999

20 cent, 1999

50 cent, 2000

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (29 September 1547 – 23 April 1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus Don Quixote, often considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His work is often considered amongst the most important works in all of Western literature. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that Spanish is often called la lengua de Cervantes, Spanish for the language of Cervantes. He has been dubbed El Príncipe de los Ingenios – The Prince of Wits.

The picture shown on these coins is taken from portrait commonly said to be that painted by Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, though now some people believe that the painting is not an authentic one.

Cervantes died in Madrid on April 23, 1616. In honor of the date on which both Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died, UNESCO established April 23 as the International Day of the Book.