My First Bracteate - Bishopric Of Magdeburg 1232-35

I didn't intentionally go out of my way to add a braceate to my collection, but this coin with an image of St. Moritz (= St. Maurice = San Maurizio) filled a gap in my collecting theme of Christian saints.
According to Christian tradition, Saint Moritz was the leader of the Theban legion which, according to legend, was put to death (in part of whole) at Agaunum (modern St.Moritz Switzerland) for their adherence to the faith during the reign of Maximian in 286 AD. Moritz is often depicted in medieval art as black (as also signaled by his name), which would make him one of the earliest black Christian saints (North Africa was a bulwark of pre-Constantine Christianity)
From a numismatic viewpoint, Moritz appears on the coins of Magdeburg, Germany where his cult has been active since at least the mid-10th century (he was a patron saint of the Ottonian emperors), but the broader numismatic legacy of Moritz and the Theban Legion includes:
- the adoption of the cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus by the House of Savoy. The cross features prominently on the coins of Carlo Emanuele I (1580-1630)
- Saints Felix and Regula, also members of the legion, who became patron saints of Zurich and figure on a few coins, including a spectacular 1512 guldiner https://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotv...aeb53405d4a5
- Saint Ursus, another member of the legion, patron saint of the Swiss canton of SOlothurn, and present on their coins since medieval times
- Saint Constantius, patron saint of Carmagnola, Italy who appears on some of the coins of this place.