Chapelle St. Barbe, Les Claux

This dial can be found on the church in Les Claux next to the road. Les Claux is a part of the Pelvoux commune in the Vallouise valley in the Hautes-Alpes, France.

The dial shows hour an half-hour lines from 7 to 5 o’clock.

The motto of the dial reads “la derniere decide tout’, i.e. “the last [hour] decides all”.

The dial is in the Louis XV style. Note that the design of the dial is assymetric. It gives me an amateur feeling of the creator, it could have been more symmetric. But the speed required to create a drawing might also be the cause.

The dial has been renovated by Atelier Tournesol in 1991.

Location: Église, Les Claux, Pelvoux, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Eglise, Pelvoux

This sundial can be found on the St. Antoine church in Pelvoux, Vallouise valley, Hautes-Alpes, France.

The dial shows hour and half-hour lines from 6 to 3 o’clock in roman lettering. The dial has an austere republican style, but with a sun and moon around the stylus base.
The dial dates from 1810.

Interestingly the dial shows two motto’s, which show the history of the dial. One reads “SPERO LUCEM”, which translates to “hope for the light”. And the other reads “Temp O? ?Homme poursuit peut etre cest le votre ne perde pas le temps”, which roughly translates to “time follows man, maybe it is your last, do not waste time”.

The dial has been restored by Atelier Tournesol in 1993.

Location: Église St. Antoine, Pelvoux, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Facade Sud, Eglise, Grand Parcher

This dial can be found on the southern facade of the church in Grand Parcher in the Vallouise Valley of the Hautes-Alpes, France.

The dial dates from 1718. Around the stylus one can see a sun and moon. The imagery reminds of the Louis XV period. The numbers however use a very modern typestyle.

The dial does not present the right time. Probably the gnomon has been deplaced during the restauration works of the facade.

Location: Façade Sud, Église, Grand Parcher, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Facade Ouest, Eglise, Grand Parcher

This sundial can be found on the west facade of the church in Grand Parcher, in the valley of Vallouise, Hautes-Alpes, France.

It was hidden behind some scaffolding, so I did not have a very good look. The stylus had been removed. The dial shows hour lines from 11 to 6 o’clock.

The motto reads “Incerta Cuntis Ultima Multis”, which reads “the hour is incertain, it is last for many”.

Location: Façade Ouest, Église, Grand Parcher, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Maison Cure, Les Vigneaux

This dial can be found on the western facing façade of the former curé house of the church. Now it the Maison CAF is the occupant of the house. It is thus next to the church and can see all three sundials in one go if one is in the right position. The dial is in Les Vigneaux, Vallouise valley, Hautes-Alpes, France.

This dial shows hour and halfhour lines in local and republican time. The local time is presented in blue and roman lettering. The republican time is presented in red and arabic lettering. Republican time was invented some 200 years ago after France liberated itself. Republican time is based on a 10 hours day and 100 minutes hours, and it all refers to the longitude of Paris.

The motto, in provencale,  on the dial reads “Tres Cadran, Lo Vigno, Les Passans, Amouns tes Raouns, Soure”. I thinks this translates to “three dials, the vine, let surely pass thy rays”. The vine refers to the vine ranks next to the dial face. Notice above the dial the formula for the relativity of time from Einstein.

It is a commemorative dial created by Maison Tournesol (see their trademark on the left) in 1999. It commemorates the 200th anniversary of the french republic.

Location: Western façade, Maison du Curé, Les Vigneaux, Vallouise valley, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Facade Ouest Eglise, Les Vigneaux

This sundial can be found on the west facing facade of the church in Les Vigneaux, in the Vallouise valley in the Hautes-Alpes France.

The dial shows hour and halfhour lines from 1 to 7 o’clock.

The style of the dial is formal in republican style with a simple rectangle and roman numbering.

The date of dials is roughly 200 years due to the style used. In the archives no more information could be found.
The dial is restaured in 1989 by l’Atelier Tournesol.

Location: Façade Ouest, église, Les Vigneaux, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink •

Facade Sud, Eglise, Les Vigneaux

This sun dial is found on the southern facade of the church in Les Vigneaux, in the Vallouise valley of the Hautes-Alpes, France.

The dial shows hour and half-hour lines from 6 o’clock until 3 o’clock. The gnomon is place in sun and below it one can see the moon. The dial is created in a formal republican style. Interestingly one can also see another set of hourlines. It is not clear where they come from. I assume that a different gnomoniste determined other hourlines in the past for some reason.

The date of dials is roughly 200 years due to the style used. In the archives no more information could be found.

The dial is restaured in 1989 by Atelier Tournesol.

Location: Façade Sud, Église, Les Vigneaux, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Lycee, Veynes

This sundial can be found in the courtyard of the Lycée in Veynes, Hautes-Alpes, France. The dial is hewn out of stone and from 1990. It shows hourlines and partly halfhour lines. The dial is fixed on a support so that it faces the south. The gnomon does not seem to have survived the kids in the schoolyard.

I wonder whether this is a mass produced dial or not.

Location: Courtyard, Lycée Pierre Mendes, Place des Aires, Veynes, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink • Comments • TrackBacks •

Place Grenette, Gap

This sundial is situated in the capital of the departement Hautes-Alpes. It is a modern sundial dating from 2004. It depicts a scene descibring this department: marmottes, chamois and mountains. De dial itself is simple with hourlines and halfhour marks. The dial starts 5 o’clock in the morning and lasts until 3:30. It is clearly declined to the east.

The motto reads “Humanitatis Hora Semper Est”, I guess that translates to “It is always time for humanity”. The helping hand that comes out of the sky above the dial proper, supports this motto.

Location: Place Grenette, Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France

Categories: france • hautes-alpes • vertical •
PermaLink •