Atlas Obscura · People & society

Ancient Oak Tree Housed as Chapel in Serbia

A chapel has been created inside a centuries-old oak tree in the Serbian village of Čibukovac, believed to be the oldest oak in the country.

The pedunculate oak, estimated to be over 500 years old, stands over 30 meters tall with an 8-meter trunk circumference. Villagers hollowed out its trunk to form a small working chapel.

Dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the village's Slava, the interior is coated in wax for preservation and features icons of various saints and religious scenes.

The chapel serves as a gathering place for villagers on major Orthodox feast days and for private prayer.

Locals believe the tree's history of being struck by lightning contributed to its transformation into a site of devotion, linking it to the Slavic tradition of venerating sacred trees.

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