Lou Biehl Cassou is the name of an old pedunculate oak dating back 700 or 800 years, located in a small village in the Landes region, on the site of Ranquines, the birthplace of Saint-Vincent de Paul.
Originally named Pouy until 1928, the village is now known as Saint-Vincent de Paul following a royal decree.
The village was the birthplace of "Monsieur Vincent", a priest whose charitable works have spanned the centuries and led to his canonization.
During his youth, Saint-Vincent de Paul, who died in 1660, used to take refuge under this tree.
With a measured circumference of 10m 40, it is described as measuring 12m 50. It was classified as a "natural historical monument" on March 24, 1925 and restored in December 1987.
A statue of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus can be seen in the trunk.
This tree has given its name to a horse race, the Prix du Chêne de Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, run at the Dax racecourse on the second Sunday in September. It is open to 2-year-old colts, geldings and fillies who have never won a race before.
Near the house where Saint-Vincent was born, still visible today, an oak sapling was planted in 1968.
