2,6-Diformyl-4-methylphenol and 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane template condense in the presence of Cu(NO3)(2) and azide to produce a 3 : 3 macrocyclic ring containing an unprecedented grouping of seven copper(II) ions within the macrocyclic cavity, with the seventh metal completing a body-centred heptanuclear lattice.