GERMANY ~ Thousand-Year Rose - Hildesheim - UNESCO

... The beautiful German city of Hildesheim is the home to what is believed to be the world's oldest living rose known as the rose of Hildesheim or the thousand-year rose... it grows on the apse of the Cathedral and its presence is documented since A.D. 815... it was thought that the bush was planted when the church was built... the rose bush slowly grew up the side of the cathedral and now continues to bloom each year usually around May... with a lovely first day special postmark... Thanks Dustin! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

There is a legend about the rose. Once upon a time, Emperor Louis the Pious ( on the postmark) while out hunting lost a sacred relic containing a lock of St. Mary’s hair. 

His men looked everywhere and finally found it in the forest, hanging on a wild rose tree.The king thanked God and built a cathedral where the rose tree stood.

The cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombers in 1945 during the Second World War, but the roots of the rose bush survived and it blossomed again among the ruins. According to legend, while the rose bush flourishes, Hildesheim will prosper. 

The cathedral and the adjacent St. Michael's Church have been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1985.

 

Stamp:

World of Letters 

(Issued 01-03-2022)