Currently Rauna Pastor’s Manor houses social care and rehabilitation centre “Pansija Rauna”. The ancient origins of this place are confirmed by the fact that there are burials of late iron age and a medieval cemetery with a cross stone, which is an archaeological monument of local significance.
The first news on Rauna Pastor’s Manor date back to Vidzeme plough audit of 1601. From 1658 to 1664, pastor Jānis Reiters (1632 – 1695/97) lived at Rauna Pastor’s Manor. He was a Lutheran pastor of Latvian origin in Vidzeme, a polyglot, a linguist and a translator. He published the Lord’s Prayer in 40 languages, as well as translated a section of Bible into Latvian.
Most probably, Rauna Pastor’s Manor was destroyed during the Great Northern War, because it is known that the building was rebuilt in 1718. On 27 November 1726, Rauna Pastor’s Manor burnt down, but a new residential building was built of fresh logs in summer of the same year, which resulted in poor condition of the building already by 1740.
From 1791 to 1793, during the term of office of pastor Johann Gotthard Langhevics, a new two-storied pastor’s residential house was made of stone, which can partially be observed today as well. It was rebuilt several times since then, however, it has not lost its attraction. Not far from the residential house, a unique 18th century barn building with a porch arcade is situated, as well as the house of a manager or a tenant, which was built in a classicism style.
During the Battle of Cēsis, on 22 June 1919, Estonian army hit the buildings of Rauna Pastor’s Manor, where the headquarters of Landeswehr was stationed, with incendiary bombs. A fire broke out and destroyed 10 out of 16 buildings of Rauna Pastor’s Manor. The archive of the church was saved from fire by Elza Margarēta Jende (1877-1967), the wife of Rauna pastor Ādams Jende, who later became famous as a notable ethnographer and the librarian of Riga Latvian Society.
The complex of buildings of Rauna Pastor’s Manor lost its historical purpose in 1944. In 1945 a nursing home for the elderly was organised here. It was closed in spring 2015 by moving residents to other nursing homes. Thanks to the persistence of Rauna congregation, the nursing home was reopened already in autumn 2015 and it started operating as a social care and rehabilitation centre “Pansija Rauna” of the foundation Diaconia Centre of Rauna Evangelical Lutheran Church.