“Sub Rosa”

Rose on ancient wall in Cambridge

The term, sub rosa, means “under the rose,” and refers to the ancient use of the rose to mark places where secret meetings were to be held. The association of roses with secrecy began with Greek mythology.  Aphrodite’s symbol was the rose, and she gave the most beautiful one to her son, Eros.  He used it to buy silence from the god, Harpocrates, to assure him that he would not divulge the secret liaisons of the gods, and particularly, his mother.

Romans would identify the location of secret meetings by putting a wild rose on the doorway, and also painted images of them on the ceilings of their banquet halls.  One needed merely to look up to be reminded that what happened at the party, stayed at the party.

Medieval rose in Illuminated manuscript

During the Middle Ages, a rose on the ceiling indicated that the sessions were secret and not to be disclosed.  Roses were placed over confessionals as early as 1526 to assure that confessions were held in the strictest confidence. After 1688, the Jacobites adopted the rose as their emblem, as their meetings were held in secret and their aid to the Stuart cause was sub rosa.

During the Renaissance, roses were adopted by alchemists representing various meanings. The Rosenkreutz order, or Rosicrucians, developed a highly secretive mystic cult based on symbolism under the name of the “Rose Cross.”  They claim their order goes back to the mysteries of ancient Egypt. Still active today, they are the oldest existing Traditional Fraternity.

When it comes to roses, those who follow the orders are sworn to silence.  The punishment for indiscretion, is learning the truth!

Rose on the ceiling of the Alte Galerie in Berlin