Le Chêne Chapelle (The Chapel Oak)

You know how we love trees at Donegans, so this month we wanted to focus our attention on one of the oldest trees in France: Le Chêne Chapelle (The Chapel Oak). This magnificent tree is located in the farming village of Allouville-Bellefosse, France and is thought to be between 800–1,200 years old. Imagine a tree that has lived through many eras of world history from the reign of Louis XIV to the French Revolution to Napoleon and WWII, among other notable events. If only trees could talk, imagine the stories that The Chapel Oak would tell!

After standing for 400–800 years, The Chapel Oak witnessed its first disaster when it was struck by lightning in the 1600s, which burned right through the center and hollowed out the trunk. Many villagers believed that the tree would not live much longer, but that was not the case. After the tree started to grow back and become stable, the local Abbot Du Détroit and Father Du Cerceau believed that the hollowing was a sign from God, so they decided to build a sanctuary in it. Later, a second chapel was added which could be accessed through a spiral staircase on the outside of the tree.

The second threat to The Chapel Oak was during the French Revolution when an angry crowd — that supported the revolution — rallied around the tree wanting to burn it because it was seen as something holy and representative of the old way. The crowd was nearly successful, but a local villager renamed the tree to “the temple of reason” so that it could be spared. After the renaming, the tree was accepted as a symbol of the new way of thinking.

As the years have gone by, this amazing tree has continued to live and thrive. Although the current state of the tree is showing signs of stress and age, it seems as though it may live many more years. Now poles have been set up to hold the tree up and where bark has fallen off of the tree it has been replaced by wooden shingles. The Chapel Oak is a very beautiful tree with a rich history. If you ever have the chance to visit it, then we strongly encourage you not to pass up the opportunity!

References:

1.     https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chapel-oak

2.     https://www.normandythenandnow.com/the-perculiar-chapel-of-allouville-bellefosse/