We invite you to visit Rogosi (Rogosinsky) Manor with its wonderful park, and a surprising legend: there are rumours that Catherine I of Russia was born here, or spent her early years here in an orphanage.
In the 19th century, long after the death of Cathrine, the local people received an announcement that a memorial for the Empress will be built on the land of Vungi farm, close to the Rogosi Manor. A few years later, the plans were changed, and it was strictly forbidden to mention the low origins of Catherine. Historians still know quite little about her childhood.
The life of Empress Catherine I of Russia could easily be confused with something out of a fairy tale. The future queen was born in 1684 into a family of Lithuanian peasants, and was orphaned at the age of 3 after both her parents died from the plague. Taken in by a pastor, she spent her youth as a housemaid in Marienburg, the present-day Alūksne in Latvia. After Russia conquered the city in 1702, 18-year-old Catherine was captured and taken to Moscow. She became a servant in the home of a high-ranking government official, and it was there that she met the Russian Emperor Peter the Great. Despite being uneducated and illiterate, Catherine charmed the emperor with her beauty and wit, and the two soon began a passionate affair.
The couple married in 1712, and Catherine went on to become Peter’s closest confidante during a period of sweeping political and social reforms. She was named Russia’s first female empress upon his death in 1725, cementing her astonishing rise from orphaned peasant to monarch. Catherine died after only 16-months on the throne, but during her short reign she consolidated her power and reduced the size of the empire’s bloated military. Not forgetting her own humble origins, she also won the love of the people by dispensing generous gifts to the poor.
There is a school, hostel, restaurant, and a museum at the Manor today. You are welcome!