For millennia th rose note has bloomed in the human imagination.
Bien avant que les parfumeurs ne capturent son essence, elle ornait déjà les récits mythologiques et les jardins royaux.
The earliest records of the rose date back over 3,000 years, in Persia and China, where it symbolised divine beauty, passion, and the fleeting nature of life. But it was in 77 ADin Natural History by Pliny the Elderthat the rose found its first true mention in Western literature.
By then, several species had been identified for their medicinal and botanical virtues:
- Rosa gallicacrimson and emblematic of medieval healing.
- Rosa albawhite and noble, tied to purity.
- Rosa caninathe wild dog rose, hardy and free.
- Rosa damascenaan oriental treasure, rich in fragrance.
In the year 800, Charlemagne included rosa gallica in his royal gardens as part of his imperial edict to cultivate medicinal plants. It was modestly listed compared to the 225 varieties of carnations and 413 tulips already catalogued.
Thus began the European journey of the rose: discreet, yet magnetically enchanting.
It had yet to reign over floral courts, but already it whispered to rulers and charmed herbalists.
