Locals in the French village of Allouville-Bellefosse swear that William the Conqueror prayed at the base of this legendary tree before heading out on his famous conquest. While the tree isn’t quite that old, it’s no spring chicken. At 800 years, it’s France’s oldest known tree. It almost met a grim fate when lightning struck it in the 17th century, gutting its trunk. Not wanting to let a little lightning ruin a perfectly good tree, two monks began sprucing up the hollowed interior. Before long, they’d built a full shrine to the Virgin Mary, complete with a small chapel. The tree became known as Le Chene Chapelle, the Chapel Oak. Later additions include a second chapel and an external staircase.

When churches fell on the chopping block during the French Revolution, the tree stopped being a chapel and became a “Temple of Reason.” Efforts to maintain the aging tree have given it something of a Tim Burton feel. Shingles now cover parts of the trunk where the bark has fallen off. Poles prop up parts of the tree that might otherwise tumble. Despite the increasingly tenuous construction, worshipers still gather in the chapel for Mass twice a year!

Saving a tree and saving a tradition…this is truly a one-of-a-kind tree and unique story.