Gros Horloge
The Gros Horloge is a fourteenth century Astronomical clock in Rouen, Normandy.[1]
History and description
The clock is installed in a Renaissance arch crossing the Rue du Gros-Gorloge, in Rouen. The clock mechanism is one of the oldest in France, the movement was made in 1389. The clock facades were a later reconstruction in the Renaissance period, and represent a golden sun with 24 rays on a starry blue background. The dial measures 2.5m in diameter.
The phases of the moon are sown in the oculus of the upper part of the dial. It completes a full rotation in 29 days. The week days are shown in a opening at the base of the dial with allegorical subjects for each day of the week.
The mechanism was electrified in the 1920s and it was restored in 1997.
References
- ^ Brittany and Normandy. Peter Dragicevich. Lonely Planet, 2010