1 Thaler    (sold for $260.0)

1644, Salzburg, Count Paris von Lodron. Large Silver Thaler Coin. Cleaned XF-AU!

Mint Year: 1644 Mint Place: Salzburg Denomination: Thaler Ruler: Count Paris von Lodron. Condition: Lightly cleaned XF-AU! Reference: Davenport 3504, Probszt 1226, KM-87. R! Weight: 29.07gm Diameter: 41mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Saint Rupert, wearing episcopal regalia, holding crozier and salt barrel. All within wreath border, arms of Salzburg below. Legend: SANCT • RVDBER TVS • EPS •: SALISB : 1644 Reverse:Madonna with Child and staff. Count Paris von Lodron´s arms (Lion), topped by Archibishop´s hat above cross below. Inner Legend: SIDIVM . CONF - SVB . TVVM . PRAE Legend: PARIS • D : G : ARCHI - EPS • SAL : SE : AP : L

St. Rupert was the first abbot of Salzburg, from 696 to his death in 718. He is variously considered to be Frankish or Irish, but developed a reputation for holiness while preaching in Worms. Theodo, Duke of Bavaria, sent a request to Rupert to come to Bavaria to instruct him in the faith. Rupert accepted, and baptized Theodo and his entire entourage in the town of Regensburg, where the Duke had traveled in his excitement to meet Rupert.

In the following years, under the patronage of Theodo and his son Theodobert, Rupert spread the Gospel message throughout Bavaria, and suceeded in converting or re-converting whole regions. Rupert asked Theodo for the right to build a church among the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Juvavia. This Theodo granted, and Rupert founded St. Peter's Church and Abbey and the Nonnburg convent, the oldest continuing monastery and convent in the German-speaking world. Around the Benedictine monks and nuns who accepted Rupert's call grew the town of Salzburg. To this day, September 24 is marked throughout Austria with a St. Rupert's Day country fair, Ruperti Kirtag.

The Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg (German: Fürsterzbistum Salzburg) was an ecclesiastical principality and state of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised the secular territory ruled by the archbishops of Salzburg, as distinguished from the much larger Catholic diocese founded in 739 by Saint Boniface in the German stem duchy of Bavaria. The capital of the archbishopric was Salzburg, the former Roman city of Iuvavum.

From the late 13th century onwards, the archbishops gradually reached the status of Imperial immediacy and independence from the Bavarian dukes. Salzburg remained an ecclesiastical principality until its secularisation to the short-lived Electorate of Salzburg(later Duchy of Salzburg) in 1803. Members of the Bavarian Circle from 1500, the prince-archbishops bore the title of Primas Germaniae, though they never obtained electoraldignity; actually of the six German prince-archbishoprics (with Mainz, Cologne and Trier), Magdeburg, Bremen and Salzburg got nothing from the Golden Bull of 1356. The last prince-archbishop exercising secular authority was Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, an early patron of Salzburg native Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.