The views from the top, at an altitude of around 290 m, are magnificient. You can see through a full 360 degrees and can look down towards the north on top of La Caunette and beyond. To the south, you can see Alaric and the vast plain of Olonzac.

Saint Abdon's oak is very large and must be rather old but it has never been sampled to determine just how old it is. Popular local legend says that it is 1000 years' old. Oaks of vast age are well documented. There is one which has been proved to be 1000 years' old in the Vendee. A procession used to be held to the tree from the village of Aigne to pray to Saint Abdon for rain. Legend has it that St Abdon used to go to the river Cesse to collect water and that when he arrived at the foot of the tree, his container was still full. (I'm not sure what that means or implies.)

Nowadays, this spot is a popular destination for strolls in the countryside although there are no longer processions organised to pray for rain. However it is still considered bad form and even bad luck to walk to the tree during the time of the vendanges (grape harvest).

St Abdon's oak is an evergreen variety often found in this area but large specimens are very rare. This particular tree gained the gold medal for the finest oak in the Narbonne region in 1971. Oaks were venerated by the Celts and the position of this tree, isolated on top of a narrow plateau could be said to be no mere chance. The Minervois is known to have been populated by Celtic peoples by around the III century BC and one easily imagines that this site could be a mystical place for them. What's more, to pray for rain has been a basic ceremony over the ages for all peoples who cultivate the land.

A couple of hundred metres or so away from the tree towards the west at a spot which looks directly down towards the north, a simple stone shrine topped by an iron cross was erected to St Abdon and can still be seen by the visitor.