The Great Clock (French: Le Gros Horloge) (Rouen)
France /
Haute-Normandie /
Rouen
World
/ France
/ Haute-Normandie
/ Rouen
France / World / Haute-Normandie / Seine-Maritime / Rouen / Rouen
astronomy, clock tower, interesting place
The Gros-Horloge or Great Clock cannot be dissociated from the surrounding buildings, since their history is so intimately linked.
Since its construction in the late 14th century, the Gothic belfry has housed the town's bells and clock, the latter being a simple mechanism meant to sound the bells on the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour.
In 1409; a clock face was installed on the archway over a gate in the ancient Roman walls. The current archway and clock faces, were rebuilt between 1527-1529. On the two Renaissance clock faces, a single hand indicates the hour. Under the number VI, a divinity associated with the day of the week appears at noon on a chariot. Above the clock face, a globe indicates the phase of the moon. Many depictions of sheep show the importance of the wool trade in Rouen and the Paschal Lamb, which has been part of Rouen's coat of arms since the 14th century, is represented on the underside of the arch.
The gouverneur de l'Horloge, or clock keeper, was responsible for its maintenance and lived in the small loggia next to the archway. A Louis XV fountain is the final object of note here. It depicts the love between the river god Alpheus and the nymph Arethusa.
virtual view: www.normandie-tourisme.fr/VR/VR_Rouen/Les%20incontourna...
Since its construction in the late 14th century, the Gothic belfry has housed the town's bells and clock, the latter being a simple mechanism meant to sound the bells on the hour, half-hour and quarter-hour.
In 1409; a clock face was installed on the archway over a gate in the ancient Roman walls. The current archway and clock faces, were rebuilt between 1527-1529. On the two Renaissance clock faces, a single hand indicates the hour. Under the number VI, a divinity associated with the day of the week appears at noon on a chariot. Above the clock face, a globe indicates the phase of the moon. Many depictions of sheep show the importance of the wool trade in Rouen and the Paschal Lamb, which has been part of Rouen's coat of arms since the 14th century, is represented on the underside of the arch.
The gouverneur de l'Horloge, or clock keeper, was responsible for its maintenance and lived in the small loggia next to the archway. A Louis XV fountain is the final object of note here. It depicts the love between the river god Alpheus and the nymph Arethusa.
virtual view: www.normandie-tourisme.fr/VR/VR_Rouen/Les%20incontourna...
Wikipedia article: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Horloge
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 49°26'29"N 1°5'28"E
- LOFAR stations 558 km
- Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP) Astronomical Observatory 707 km
- KM3NeT - Toulon site in the Ligurian Sea 835 km
- Northern Cross 969 km
- Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre 1634 km
- Crimean Astrophysical Observatory 2528 km
- Wide-Band Cross-type Radio Telescope DKR-1000 2536 km
- Lebedev Physical Institute 2536 km
- UTR-2 radio telescope 2564 km
- Zimenki Radio Astronomy Station 2948 km
- Palais de Justice - Law Court, Parliament of Normandy 0.1 km
- Espace du Palais 0.2 km
- Place du Vieux Marché - Old Market square 0.3 km
- Rouen Cathedral Notre-Dame 0.3 km
- Musée des Beaux-Arts - Fine Arts museum 0.4 km
- Archevêché 0.4 km
- Institution privée catholique Join Lambert 0.9 km
- Hangar B 1 km
- Place de la Madeleine 1 km
- Mont-Saint-Aignan 3 km