As it is known from history roses were admired, they have been worshiped and celebrated from times immemorial.

Rose was used in paintings of different eras: Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, in the XIX and XX centuries.

Rose is also widely used in classic world literature. Let’s remember The Little Prince, fairy tale written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. On his planet there was a beautiful rose about which the boy liked to take care, though it was majestic and capricious. The little prince told about his rose as follows, “If you love a flower – a unique one which cannot be found on millions of stars, it is enough: you look in the sky and feel happy. And you say to yourself, “There my flower lives...”

In addition to the aesthetic and symbolic senses, rose has a historic meaning. Rose is a traditional national flower of England, it is the most well-known badge of English kings.

Rose is the queen of flowers to the extent that it heads all the records with respect to unique events. In Hildesheim (Germany) there is a rose which is over 400 years old! It is the fact based on a research held by dendrologists. Story has it that it is over 1000 years old, it is called the ‘thousand-year rosary’.  But you must admit that almost five hundred years confirmed by facts are impressive!

In ancient Greece roses were used to decorate a bride’s dress, to strew winners’ path when they came back from a war; they were given to gods, and a lot of churches were surrounded by beautiful gardens of roses. Excavating scientists found coins which bore images of roses. And in Ancient Rome this flower was used in decoration of houses of wealthy people only. When they held feasts guests were showered with rose petals, and their heads were decorated with rose crowns. Wealthy people bathed in rose water; wine was made out of roses, they were added to dishes, various sweets that are still popular in the East.

According to archeological data rose has existed on the Earth for over 25 million years, and for over 5,000 years it is cultivated and most part of this time it was considered a sacred symbol. Smell of roses was always connected with something divine. Since ancient times a custom to decorate temples with natural roses has survived.

It was grown in gardens of the East several centuries ago and the first mentioning about rose is met in ancient Indian legends though it is considered that its home is Persia. In Ancient Persian rose literally means spirit.

In Greek mythology as the symbol of love and passion rose was an emblem of Green goddess of love Aphrodite (Roman Venus), it also symbolized love and desire. During Renaissance period rose was associated with Venus due to its beauty and aroma, and sharpness of its thorns – with love hurts. According to a legend, rose began to blossom for the first time when goddess of love Aphrodite saw the light from sea waves. Once she came ashore when spindrift flocks sparkling on her body turned into ruby roses.

There is an interesting riddle about rose. Once toward the evening a prince walked in a palace park. He was impressed when he met a beautiful stranger. They were taking a walk in the park for the whole night but at dawn she told that she needed to go as she was a princess who was turned into a rose by a wizard. She becomes the girl again just for one summer night. There is one way to remove the spell – to recognize her among thousands of other roses at the first try. In case of wrong choice the girl will die. The princess disappeared, and with dawning light the prince went to that part of the park where hundreds of roses grew and found her at once. The question is: how? Answer: there was no dew on it...

Beauty of rose is glorified in poems, paintings, legends. It is worthily named the queen of flowers.