It is said that St. Francis during his trip to the province of Rimini in the thirteenth century, he planted in the ground the "staff" that supported him during the journey, this stick took root in a miraculous form giving life to a cypress that would remain in history.
A tree that has faced not only atmospheric events, but also life-threatening situations created by men, particularly in the Napoleonic period of the 1800s, the army entered the convent received orders to cut down the tree and while they were trying to burn it, a messenger arrived with a counterorder not to shoot him down. In addition, during the last world war the Germans burned a part of it to warm up and in 1980 the main peak, 10 meters higher, collapsed due to bad weather.
According to the Franciscan friars, this tree that moves anyone with its beauty and majesty is the symbol of the idea that God is a strong support as was the stick that supported St. Francis.
The cypress, weakened by age and by the various fire attempts received, stands up thanks to some rusty metal prostheses, but compared to other much younger peers it seems to be in good health. It has been the subject of scientific studies that wanted to shed light on the secret of this plant's long life.
This monumental cypress planted in 1213, according to the tradition of St. Francis, can be admired today in the cloister of the convent as a colossal plant monument 25 meters high which has "seen" 800 years of history flow around it.
Translated by Google •
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