Between the republican blues and the royalist whites, we could see a lot of red in these times of the Vendée war, as Nougaro could have sung!
And to the foot of this oak tree....
The little girl who was praying....
It seems that some Republican soldiers noticed a little girl kneeling in front of an oak tree carrying a statuette of the Virgin Mary, and praying.
Obviously, in their minds, such a statuette could only be placed there by a "refractory" priest, and they wanted the girl to know where he was hiding.
She refused.
They shot him.
This is what apparently made this oak a place of worship dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The faith that rises along the trunk....
Indeed, it is almost from the foot to the top that the trunk is covered with small statuettes nestled in boxes that protect them from the elements. You send a number of photos with this article.
It is nevertheless necessary to tell the truth: what appears in these photos, you will unfortunately no longer see as it stands. Indeed, in July 2018, a candle that may have fallen set the tree on fire, and this tragic autodafé was filmed.
The fire brigade managed to put it out, and the tree remained upright. And, of course, the next day, saddened faithful began to bring various objects to keep alive the faith that was manifested in this place.
Where to find the Oak to the Virgin Mary?
So you can always go there. It is located in Ille-et-Vilaine, between the communes of La Guerche de Bretagne and Rannée, about 45 minutes by car from Rennes.
Breton practitioners probably know that "the virgin", in Breton, is called "Gwerc'hez", which probably gave its name to La Guerche de Bretagne.
Mairie de Rannée
4, avenue de l'Ardenne
35130 Rannée
Tél. : 02 99 96 23 34
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