Tilleul de Coigneux, la Vierge du Tilleul

Coigneux (limite avec Couin)

At the crossroads between Coigneux and Couin, in the Somme, a large lime tree carries a small Virgin. According to the legend, reported by the panel at the site of the Sources de l'Authie, it was planted in the 1660s by Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne and marshal of France. Later a statuette of Notre-Dame de Consolation was placed in a natural niche of the tree, hence its name Vierge du Tilleul. Local custom had the population go there in procession, and the funeral cortèges going to the cemetery stopped there, to the chants of members of the clergy. The tree thus serves as a station: a place where one stops to pray and entrust one's dead, like a small living calvary. The planting by Turenne is only an oral tradition, and the text of the panel cites no end date for the custom. Today the statuette is still visible in the niche in the photos published on Commons. It is a simple example of a devotional tree of northern France, without a famous pilgrimage, but with its local memory well kept.

Getting there: Roadside tree, at a crossroads on the boundary of Coigneux and Couin, freely visible; it is part of the site of the Sources de l'Authie. Approximate coordinates: geolocation of Commons photos, not verified on an official map; the centre of the commune is about 1.2 km away.

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

Ambient sound