OUR LADY OF THE OAK

Within the forest is the chapel Notre-Dame-du-Chêne, which is supposed to achieve many miracles. According to legend, a sandelier would have found there, in a oak, a statue of the Virgin. He brought her home, but she came back to her tree. In the twelfth century, Saint Bernard would have come to pilgrimage, and then it was Louis XI's turn. Today, oak remains behind the master altar, surrounded by a small wooden precinct. It is a recent stone chapel - 1867 with windows restored two years ago. Outside is a very rudimentary cave where water - not drinking - never stops. The devotion to this saint, in September, during a pilgrimage which extends from 9:30 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. for clothing, makes it a place of high spirituality.