Roots to gain the sky
In Galician, the carballo (Quercus robur) adopts the female gender when it is an old tree with a large trunk and well-developed crown. The holm oak of Rochas or A Saínza is magnificent. It officially measures 6.90 metres at its perimeter which should be taken at a height of 1.30 metres from the ground. A little higher up it divides into two great branches more than thirty metres high.
Apart from its botanical interest, the tree at A Saínza possesses outstanding cultural value. Its roots are merged into the history of the land where it was planted, near the chapel of the Virgen de las Mercedes, and in memory of the people of the area (See the Biosphere Reserve “Area of Allariz”).
Every 24th of September, on the occasion of the local holidays, the shadow of this oak wood also gives shelter to an important pilgrimage, one of the few re-creations in Galicia of the battle between the Moors and the Christians. The socalled “attack” takes place in the Campo do Castelo and has been declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico (holiday of tourist interest).