St Theologus Church Prayer Candle Token Capadocia 1884

By the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in such a state of decline that there was a shortage of currency. The government could not strike enough coinage to meet the needs of its citizens. Σt. Gregory Theologus Church, in the Cappadocian town of Kelveri, issued these bracteate tokens for use by the local Greek Orthodox population in 1884 The value was set at 5 paras—the price of a candle. Locals would spend one of these church tokens to light a candle in Jesus’ name. The Ottoman Empire fell for good at the end of the Great War.