France’s Oldest Tree Sprouts Treehouse Chapels, Has Been Alive Since Louis IX

Posted By Ana Lisa Alperovich On May 5, 2012 @ 2:04 am In Architecture,Botanical,carousel showcase,gallery,Treehouses | No Comments

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An Oak tree ^[6] in a small village in France has been carved to hold not one, but two chapels inside! Situated in Allouville-Bellefosse ^[7], this magnificent Quercus ^[8] is France's oldest standing tree, and it has survived thousands of years of strong winds, electric storms, and many violent wars. Dubbed Chêne Chapelle ^[9](Oak Chapel), it hosts Notre Dame de la Paix and the Chambre de l'Ermite inside, providing a hidden worshiping space in the heart of a tree.

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The Oak chapels ^[10] are not your average tree houses – it’s not known exactly when they were built, but they are estimated to be between 800 and 1200 years old! In the late 1600s the tree survived a lightning fire that hollowed out the center. Interpreting this occurrence as a holy event, the local priest at the time called for the tree to be turned into a church. The tree was still growing under the kingdom of Louis IX and it survived the Hundred Years War with the English, The Black Death, the Reformation and the Revolution ^[11].

A staircase spirals ^[12] around the thousand-year-old trunk. The tree is starting to show its age and it now has internal and external poles supporting its tired life. A sacred place of worship, the Oak chapel ^[9] is now a pilgrimage site that welcomes thousands of astonished visitors each year.

+ Oak Chapel ^[9]

Via Kuriositas ^[13]

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/frances-oldest-tree-sprouts-treehouse-chapels-has-been-alive-since-louis-ix/

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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/frances-oldest-tree-sprouts-treehouse-chapels-has-been-alive-since-louis-ix/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/frances-oldest-tree-sprouts-treehouse-chapels-has-been-alive-since-louis-ix/france-oak-chapel-inside-old-tree-chene-chapelle-2/?extend=1

[6] Oak tree: http://inhabitat.com/worlds-tallest-treehouse-came-in-a-vision/

[7] Allouville-Bellefosse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allouville-Bellefosse

[8] Quercus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak

[9] Chêne Chapelle : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%AAne_chapelle

[10] chapels: http://inhabitat.com/chapel-transformed-into-stunning-modern-residence-in-utrecht/

[11] Revolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

[12] spirals: http://inhabitat.com/spiral-garden-is-a-lacy-mesh-vertical-farm-for-the-city/

[13] Kuriositas: http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/01/oak-chapel-of-allouville-bellefosse.html

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