The Millenary Olive Tree of SANT JORDI (Sénia Territory), Best Monumental Olive Tree of Spain 2025 ( 15/5/2025 )

This prize is the 8th awarded by AEMO (Spanish Association of Olive Tree Municipalities) to the Millennium Olive Trees of the Sénia Territory (located between the Valencian Community, Catalonia and Aragon), which is the place with the highest concentration of millennium olive trees in the world, with currently more than 7,000 specimens mapped that exceed 350 centimetres in trunk perimeter at a height of 130 centimetres from the ground.

This olive tree is located in the municipality of Sant Jordi (Castellón), Mas Na Cabanes, and measures 770 centimetres in trunk perimeter at 130 cm from the ground, thus being the largest in the municipality and one of the largest in the whole area. According to the Polytechnic University of Madrid, it is 1,281 years old and its origin dates back to the year 744 (8th century), coinciding with the Muslim period in the Iberian Peninsula, and hence its great cultural and historical value, since from its privileged location it has seen the passage of all civilizations.

The involvement of both the owner's family (Marí Sospedra) and the Sant Jordi Town Council, who have made the olive tree an emblem of the municipality's heritage, deserves special recognition. In addition to them, for 20 years, the Mancomunitat (public sector) and the Association (private and public) have been working together to conserve and enhance this agricultural, cultural and tourist heritage, which is unique in the world. For this reason, in addition to many other international recognitions, it has been declared a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the FAO.