About the name
Name. 'Minerva', after the Roman goddess of wisdom, crafts and war (the Greek equivalent is Athena). Minerva is one of the three goddesses of the Capitoline Triad (with Jupiter and Juno), a symbol of strategic wisdom, art and science. Minerva's owl is the goddess's attribute and a symbol of philosophy. Hegel wrote: “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the coming of dusk”, meaning philosophy that makes sense of what has been lived.
Breeding. Bred by Martin Vissers at the Vissers house (Belgium), released on the market in 2010. Code VISancar (=VMX 4010). Parentage: Sharon's Love × Marie-Louise Velge. Vissers is a Belgian family nursery that works in the shadow of the large French and German houses but produces rare 'signature' varieties. It is the 1st Belgian variety in the catalogue from Vissers (next to the house of Lens, another Belgian house, represented by 4 cards in our catalogue).
Significance. The 'Blue Wave' of the catalogue. It is the 5th purple-lavender rose, alongside Blue Moon (1964), Blue Nile (1981), Mamy Blue (1991), Ebb Tide (2004) and Indigoletta (1981). Minerva's distinctive trait is a strong, sweet fragrance, which is rare for 'blue' varieties. The colour dynamic (purple to light blue) is a characteristic feature, letting a single bush show a 'three-colour effect' at once (bud + young flower + old flower). Do not confuse it with the historic gallica 'Minerva' (Vibert, France, 1841), which is a different antique variety.