The great rock of Krauja is also known as the noble rock of Tilgaļi, and it is the largest rock in Kurzeme. It was part of an ancient and important cult location, and it speaks to the conflict between the Curonian cult and Christianity during the 13th century. Because of its steadfastness, it has preserved the status of a cult location through the centuries. The brilliant Latvian poet and writer Jānis Trimda (whose actual name was Fricis Gulbis) wrote about the influence of Christianity on the cultural history of the Curonians: “Near the graveyard there is an enormous linden tree, thus recalling the time when a stand of colourful linden trees bloomed in the spring, flowered during the summer and then dropped all of its leaves. This lasted for centuries. Then there is the great rock, which is the largest one in Kurzeme. It did not lay in an empty place to be seen from a distance from all directions, but laid in the heart of the stand of linden trees, and my ancestors thought that this was a tribute to God. [..] Then came the Germans who brought the Christian faith to our land with sword and fire, doing everything that they could to combat the durable and secretive paganism. The noble linden trees in the Garden of God had a sad fate, because the alien Germans chopped them down.”. The great rock is easy to find, because glaciers put it on a hillock that is shallow and visible. It is about 300 m from the Vandzene-Valdemārpils road. It is 7 m high, 6,9 m wide, with a diameter of 26 m and a volume of 80 cubic metres.
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