The Chapel Oak
This ancient Quercus robur in northern France houses two small chapels, called "Le Chêne Chapelle."
BRIT Collections
Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Plant specimen (2009-05-25) by Le gholaBRIT Collections
Le Chêne Chapelle, "The Chapel Oak", is a Quercus robur tree that is home to two small chapels, accessible by climbing an outer spiral staircase.
This particular oak tree is France's oldest known tree. Although legend states that William the Conqueror knelt at the base of the tree 1,200 years ago, scientists calculate that the tree is actually over 800 years old.
Legend states that Le Chêne Chapelle has grown in tandem with the country of France for over 800 years. The tree has experienced Louis XIV, the French Revolution, Napoleon, and Sarkozy.
Le Chêne Chapelle is located within a small farming village named Allouville-Bellefosse in northern France. It is said that the tree has been growing at the same pace as the country itself.
Plant specimen (1979-02-19) by Judith DeShurkoBRIT Collections
Quercus robur, collected in Illinois, USA, 1979
Le Chêne Chapelle is a Quercus robur, also known as an English Oak. Quercus robur are large and majestic deciduous oaks that typically grow between 40-70 feet in height with broad, rounded crowns. English Oak bark is dark grey- black in color and contain furrows.
Plant specimen (2008-10-16) by Mark PonderBRIT Collections
Quercus robur, collected in Mississippi, USA, 2008
Quercus robur leaves are dark green with short stalks are are typically between 3-5 inches in length. The English Oak's leaves are variable in shape but usually have between 3-7 lobes on each side of the leaf.
Plant specimen (2013-10-31) by S.E. YostBRIT Collections
Quercus robur, collected in Delaware, USA, 2013
English Oak fruits are 1-inch-long, oval acorns that are an important food resource for local wildlife.
"According to local legend, the tree is as old as the kingdom of France itself, and William the Conqueror prayed under its branches before he left for England. In the 17th century, lightning struck the tree, burning the inside. This left a hollow but still-living tree," (Valdes, 2019).
Le Chêne Chapelle (2009-05-25) by Le gholaBRIT Collections
When the tree was around 470 years old, it was struck by lightening, and its trunk became hollowed. Local priest Abbot Du Détroit and father Du Cerceau turned the hollowed out trunk into a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary entitled Notre Dame de la Paix (‘Our Lady of Peace’).
A second chapel was later built, entitled Chambre de l'Ermite (‘House of the Hermit’), accessible through a spiral staircase that was added to the outside of the tree.
The Temple of Reason
During the French Revolution, the tree was threatened to be burned down by a local mob. The crowd believed that the chapel was a symbol of the old way of the church, or the "Ancien Régime". A local renamed the chapel to "the temple of reason", ultimately saving it.
The tree has survived 100s of years of weather and humans
Parts of tree's trunk have died and its crown is slowly shrinking due to age and stress. The tree is now held up by internal and external supporting poles and cables. Portions of bark have fallen away and have been replaced by wooden shingles.
Le Chêne Chapelle is still regarded as a sacred symbol. Its congregation meets for Mass twice a year and it is an annual pilgrimage destination on August 15th, in conjunction with Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Le Chêne Chapelle: The Chapel Oak
Story created by Philecology Herbarium, Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
References:
Mingren, W., (2015, April 12). Le chene chapelle: The ancient oak tree chapel as old as France itself. Ancient Origins. https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/le-chene-chapelle-ancient-oak-tree-chapel-old-france-itself-002895
Missouri Botanical Garden, (n.d.). Quercus robur. Missouri Botanical Garden. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280706
Otto, R., (2019 August 10). Le chêne chapelle: The chapel oak. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chapel-oak
Valdes, K.W., (2019, February 26). Chene chapelle- Allouville-Bellefosse, France. Osprey Observer. https://www.ospreyobserver.com/2019/02/chene-chapelle-allouville-bellefosse-france/
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