Normandy: Rouen: Gros Horloge

Now that I’m back in the states, I wanted to cover a few more memorable bits of our trip to France. One of them was certainly visiting the famous clock tower in Rouen, the Gros Horloge (big clock). Back in the 12th and 13th centuries, the nobility had their palaces, the clergy their abbeys and cathedrals, and the wealthy craftsmen and tradesmen their clock and bell towers. By the 13th century, the bourgeois (those wealthy tradesmen) built the belfry that would house the Gros Horloge.

At first, the tower just had bells, rung by hand. Not just small bells, but massive bells, weighing 1-2 tons each. One bell, the “Cache Ribaud” rang the curfew alarm at 9 pm, to get the “ribauds” (debauched individuals) off the street. Starting in the 14th century, the bell was rung every hour of the day to regulate the workers’ day. The “Rouvel” bell initially just sounded fire alarms. Later, the “Normandie” bell struck quarter hours.

From the 14th century, the bells were set off by clock mechanisms, then a clock face was added. Now you could both see and hear the hours. By hours I mean just that; there was no second hand for minutes. In those days just knowing the hour was sufficiently precise. But there was more! A perpetual calendar wheel was added, with zodiac signs indicating the day of the week, and up top a revolving globe showed the phases of the moon. This was all packaged in a red, blue and gold clock face that straddles one of the main medieval streets of Rouen, called appropriately enough, Rue du Gros Horloge. It is beautiful, as evidenced by the tourists pausing to take picture after picture.

We climbed the interior of the tower, with our English audio guide at the ready. Portholes here and there give you views of the Cathedral and street below.

We saw the lodgings of the “Governor,” aka clock keeper. He was usually a locksmith and smithy, able to wind the clock and repair it, and fined if proper time wasn’t kept. The position was handed down from father to son. All told, there were 25 Governors over six centuries. The last one retired in 1970.

Then we came to the clock mechanism itself. The size of a small room, I understand it is one of the oldest clock mechanisms in Europe. There are a lot of cogs and gears and weights and balance wheels and ropes. It was replaced by an electric clock in 1928, but my guidebook tells me it is still in working order. Its sheer size and complexity is impressive, though I couldn't begin to describe how it works.

At the very top of the belfry, you can circumnavigate the tower on a narrow and wind swept balcony. Here Steven looks out over the city of Rouen, its famous cathedral in the distance.

Down on the street, as you pass under the clock face, is another surprise. A limestone sculpture from the Renaissance period features Jesus the shepherd and his many sheep. (Rouen had a big wool trade). If you look closely, there is also incongruously a miller climbing into his windmill and Hercules slaying a monster. An elaborate fountain around the corner caps everything off.

It’s just a few Euros to climb the clock tower. Don’t miss if it you’re in Rouen.