Strange Coins Found in Church

16 December 2020

THE SATAN CULT AT ANHOLT – ANNUS HORRIBILIS 1973. Recently, these mysterious words appeared in the medieval Veksø Church near Måløv, when curator Anders Rørvig Abildgaard came across two strange coins on the pulpit’s baldachin.

The church from the 12th century is being restored by Elgaard Architecture at the moment. It will be whitewashed inside, the pews will be retouched and the lead windows repaired – but the coins were not part of the plan!

The two strange coins have runes, Roman numerals and devil’s heads on the front and back and are so-called “satanic coins”, which, however, are not as diabolical as they may sound. In fact, they and approximately 400 other similar coins found across Denmark and abroad are part of the happening artist Knud Langkow’s work (1930-2004). You can watch a TV programme about the coins here (Danish only).

As far away as Bath Abbey in the South of England, the satanic coins have appeared in unusual hiding places, so they are very special and are considered Danish cultural treasures despite their recent origins.

This is not the first time that we come across a satanic coin during our work with church restorations, though. During the restoration of Frederiksberg Church in Copenhagen in 2017, we found a similar coin by the altarpiece.

Read more about the devilish coins here (Danish only):
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/det-er-ikke-hver-dag-man-finder-danef%25C3%25A6-anders-r%25C3%25B8rvig-abildgaard/?trackingId=jr8Y80IVRFq1Qw0ePzGKgg%3D%3D

Photos: Conservator Anders Rørvig Abildgaard