Parcours de découverte - Circuit vert

The signposts will take you through the Landes region, past the Basilica of Notre Dame du Chêne and along tarmac country lanes.

At the entrance to the village, you will pass La Croix Blanche, an old stone cross that is very common in the region.
In the village of Vion, you'll discover the Neo-Gothic church of Saint Aubin. Inside, you'll find paintings, stained glass windows and modillions (architectural elements used to support a cornice).
The village also boasts an old-fashioned candle factory.

Continue on to the hamlet of Saint-Julien, thought to have been the original centre of the parish of Vion. Remains of the Saint-Julien church are still visible. Take a break and visit the workshop "La Forge de l'âme", a cutlery craftsman.

This Basilica has a long history... It was once a chapel that was demolished and rebuilt. Legend has it that at the end of the 15th century, the parish priest of the village of Vion placed a statuette of the Virgin and Child in a niche in a very old oak tree. A century later, the Virgin Mary appeared in the niche. Inside, paintings in the Basilica's choir retrace this history. A shop tells the story of the Basilica.

You will hike along the Landes, a migration zone, which before the revolution was covered in water in winter and remained uncultivated in summer. This land once belonged to the De Rougé du Bois Dauphin family. Today, the land is rented only to the residents of Vion.

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