Type Silver coin Material Silver 925° Issuance Date 2004 Month October Nominal Value 1 Ls Maximum Mintage 5 000 Quality Proof Weight (g) 31.47 Diameter (mm) 38.61 Graphic design Arvids Priedite Plaster model Ligita Franckevica-Ulmane Minted Rahapaja Oy (Finland) available: 0

Obverse

Our Lady with the Child Jesus in a mandorla against a background of the landscape of Latgale is placed in the upper part of the coin. The inscription 1 LATS, with the year 2004 inscribed in a semi-circle beneath it, is at the bottom of the obverse.

Reverse

A cross against a background of a flax field in blossom is placed in the upper part of the coin, with a peasant featuring to the left of the cross and an angel to the right. The inscription LATGALE is arranged in a semi-circle at the bottom of the coin.

Edge

The inscriptions LATVIJAS BANKA (Bank of Latvia) and LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA (Republic of Latvia), separated by a dot.

The obverse depicts Our Lady with the Child Jesus in a mandorla against a background of the landscape of Latgale rich in lakes and small hillocks. Largely due to the activities of Jesuits who arrived in the 16th century, Latgale is quite often called the land of Mara (Terra Mariana). Jesuits established the first quality educational establishments and provided translations of literature, first and foremost of the Gospel. We can say that Latgale, in some ways a poor but unique and beautiful part of Latvia, is still under the protection of Our Lady.

As a result of Livonian wars Latgale found itself under the Polish sphere of influence. The land was managed by land holding nobles of Polish or other ethnic origin obeying the Polish rule; the Catholic faith was capable of standing against the reformation and still plays a significant role in people's mentality today. The central element of the coin's reverse is a cross from a roadside crucifix typical of Latgale against a background of a flax field in blossom. Flax is a traditional crop in Latgale and the symbol of agriculture of this part of Latvia. To the left of the cross one can see a sowing peasant personifying fertility and hope; to the right, there is an angel as a guardian of a person's aspirations.