Le Tilleul de Marquise

Marquise

Planted, according to local legend, in 1412 in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, this many-centuries-old lime tree has stood for six hundred years in front of the church of Saint-Martin in Marquise. Some see it as a "tree of peace" put into the ground at the very heart of the Franco-English conflict, a wager of hope planted by villagers who would never see its full-grown crown. Its gnarled trunk, sculpted by time into faces and strange shapes, has fed a stubborn belief: the tree is said to drive away evil spirits, a reputation strengthened in the 1950s when investigations revealed the existence of a mysterious underground passage running beneath its roots. Shaken by a violent storm in 1978, the old lime nevertheless held firm and received, in 2012, the national label of Remarkable Tree of France. Not far from it, a younger lime was planted in 1995, as if to pass the torch from one patriarch to the next, on this church forecourt where faith, legend and the history of the Boulonnais have crossed paths for six centuries.

Getting there : In front of the church of Saint-Martin, rue Jules Duflos, 62250 Marquise

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound