The medal was made by Barcelona engravers and specialised metalworkers R. Gelabert y Hermanos, who worked in bronze, enamel and other materials, collaborating with the best architects and sculptors of the time. The obverse of the medal shows a mosaic made in the Vatican and presented by Pope Leo XIII to the community to adorn the main altar. It depicts a seated Virgin and Child on a Romanesque throne, against a field of fleurs-de-lis, encircled by a legend which evokes the protection of the Mother of God over the faithful.