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Raoul Benard bronze medal

This c1940s round bronze medal is by Raoul Benard. It is stamped "BRONZE" on the rim with a triangular mark.
The obverse depicts the Virgin Mary and Child standing on a column between two angels with a stained glass window in the background with the words "AVE REGINA CAELORUM" ( Hail Queen of Heaven) stamped beneath.
The reverse depicts Notre Dame cathedral Paris, with the words "ECCLESIA PARISIENSIS BEATAE MARIAE" stamped below the depiction and the Roman numerals for the year 1163, the year construction of the cathedral began.

Bishop Maurice de Sully started the construction of Notre Dame in 1163. The Cathedral was to be built in the new Gothic style and had to reflect Paris' status as the capital of the Kingdom France. It was the first cathedral to be built on a monumental scale and became the prototype for future French cathedrals. It was not completed until 1345 as the design was enlarged during construction.


Raoul René Alphonse Bénard (1881-1961) was born in Elbeuf, Seine-Maritime France 

He studied under Jules-Clement Chaplain. In 1911 he won the Prix de Rome followed by a silver medal at the Salon des Artistes Francais in 1922, and then the gold medal two years later. He was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.
Bénard designed the Olympic medals for the 1924 Olympic Winter Games and the commemorative medals for the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.