Carbayón de Lavandera

This oak tree is a magnificent specimen of more than 20 metres high and with a trunk perimeter of almost 7 metres, located next to the church of San Julián in the town of Tueya, Gijón. Its scars are reminiscent of times of mistreatment, when nails were hammered into it, its branches were torn off and attempts were even made to burn it. Today it has become a symbol of the town.

The carbayo or oak tree has always been closely linked to the lives and customs of the Asturian people. The hardness and resistance of its wood made it very suitable for use in railway sleepers, granaries and barrels and cider pipes, and it was also used as beams in houses, palaces and churches.