Tilleuls de Sully du Cantal, par Terry Brown

We saw seven more Sully trees on our tour round France this year. I was particularly excited by the plaque in St-Simon (near Aurillac). In the past we have seen plaques asserting that Sully ordered every community to plant a tree and sometimes elms and oak trees were mentioned as well as lime trees. But this is the first plaque I have seen that asserts what I have come to suspect over the years – that Sully ordered every community to plant a tilleul, a lime tree. This is particularly important because of the symbolism attached to this tree. Lime trees were held to be sacred in some early civilizations. They are considered to be linked with peace, justice, love, truth and fidelity. In short, they are ideal symbols to celebrate peace between religions following the promulgation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598, and to provide an alternative, secular, community centre for villages. We have seen claims in other villages of how courts of justice were held beneath these Sully trees, also markets, and official pronouncements were given out under them.

The other picture shows the trunk of the tree at Nigresserre, a hamlet in Carladez (Cantal). Actually, we suspect that this enormous tree, hollow at the bottom as you can see, may be older than 420 years or so. But if orders came from far-away government to plant a lime tree, what was to prevent a little, obscure hamlet from thinking well, we’ve already got a lime tree in the middle of our community. We don’t need to plant another. Let’s just name this tree our Sully tree. Saves a bit of work. So, I like to think, it probably is a genuine Sully tree, albeit a bit older than its compatriots.

Texte et photos: Terry Brown

Site de Terry & Eileen Brown: The Duke of Sully and his Trees:

https://sullystrees.weebly.com/

Consulter aussi:

http://pocombelles.over-blog.com/2017/09/les-arbres-du-duc-de-sully-par-terry-brown-le-courrier-de-la-nature-305-septembre-octobre-2017.html

http://pocombelles.over-blog.com/article-the-duke-of-sully-and-his-trees-le-duc-de-sully-et-ses-arbres-115365796.html

http://pocombelles.over-blog.com/2017/12/des-arbres-et-des-gentilshommes.html

Plaque du Tilleul de Sully de St-Simon, près d'Aurillac

Eileen Brown posant au pied du tilleul de Nigresserre (Cantal)