Marchissy is a small village in the French speaking part of Switzerland on the climb towards the Col du Marchairuz of the Jura Mountains. It´s pretty hillside location at 824m altitude boasts uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape across the Lake Leman (Geneva Lake) towards the Alps in the distance.
Like most of the villages within the Parc du Jura Vaudois, it has a small grocery shop, an “auberge” and quite a vibrant community of over 400 inhabitants.
Coming up the road from the lakeside, it is the church of Marchissy that you see first and foremost. Its history is fascinating, dating from around 1300. Originally two lime trees (Tilia Sp.) were planted at the church around the foundation time. Unfortunately, one of them was uprooted in 1903 in a storm. The other stands proudly and quietly next to the church and is the second oldest, and second largest, in the whole of Switzerland (second only to a tree in Linn in the canton of Aargau).
Unsurprisingly this claim to fame has made it the pride of the village, and its flower has even been adopted as its insignia.
It even has its own page Le Tilleul on the commune’s website along with other famous people of the village.
However, this year the tree has been in the local papers because it’s currently in danger. The base of its giant trunk is wasting away and a fungus is weakening it. Martin Erb, specialist in ancient trees, has been called in to help.
You can read about this “operation” in the L'Illustré magazine (in French)
The church and the tree have been together since the middle ages. Imagine what they have witnessed over the years...
If only trees could talk!
Credits:
DiversEarth & ImageNature