Collection "Heavy Romantic" devotion to The Rose of Turaida on its 400 anniverasry.
In the beginning of the 17th century the Swedish army occupied Turaida’s castle. Secretary Greif found a few months old girl in the battlefield among the killed people. He adopted her and named her Maija. Greif took care of the girl as if she was his own daughter and gave her good education. Maija was very beautiful and she had many admirers, but she refused to marry any of them. In 1620 she agreed to marry Heil - a gardener from Sigulda’s castle. They loved each other deeply and the wedding was planed to happen in autumn. Meanwhile both lovers were used to meeting each other in the evenings in a big cave between Sigulda and Turaida. Now it is called Gutmans cave. Near the big cave, Heil made a smaller one and decorated it with flowers to please his bride.
One day Maija received a message that Heil wanted to see her in the afternoon. After the lunch Maija, together with Greif’s eight – years - old daughter Lenta, went to the cave.
Later that evening Heil rushed into the Turaida’s castle and announced that Maija had been murdered. All inhabitants of Turaida anxiously followed him to the cave and found Maija lying in the cave without any signs of life and with a scarf around her neck.
The wife of the constable of Turaida requested the local judge to come and investigate the crime. And the trial happened the very next day. On the evidence that they found his gardener axe in the cave with blood on it, Heil was convicted. However, no one believed that Heil had done such an awful thing. Then the constable remembered two brutal Polish soldiers in his army – Jakubovskis and Skudritis who loved to drink a lot.
On the day of the trial one of those soldiers came to the castle and wanted to give a testimony on the murder. His friend, Jakubovskis, had felt in love with Maija, but she had refused him. He had become angry and decided to rape her. Both soldiers had sent a message to Maija that Heil wanted to see her in the afternoon. When Maija entered the cave, they attacked her. She tried to fighting back, but soon understood that she couldn’t win the two men. Then Maija promised Jakubovski to give him a scarf that would protect him from any wounds in the war and volunteered to test it. Maija put the scarf around her neck and Jaklubovskis hit her with his sword. Maija fell dead. Realizing the situation she decided to better die than betray her love. After this, ashamed, Jakubovskis hanged himself on the tree. In a shock Heil Sigulda’s castle for ever
Till the 19th century people considered this story about Rose of Turaida to be a legend, but in the middle of the 19th century some documents were found when restoring the old walls of the Castle that approve d the validity of this story. Nowadays many newly-married couples visit the grave of Turaida’s Rose and lay flowers there to honour her true love and show respect to her fidelity. Turaida’s Rose has become a symbol of all lovers.
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