The Grosse Cloche of Bordeaux !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Well how about that I have written several posts on the wines of the region of Bordeaux but not much on its monuments! sacre bleu!!! This is one of my favorite cities in my belle France.  We have spent several family trips here over the years. It’s time for me to correct the unnaming and tell you about some of the monuments of the city of Bordeaux. Of course, Bordeaux is in the Gironde dept 33 of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France . Therefore, here is my take on the Grosse Cloche of Bordeaux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The whole huge area around Bordeaux is connected by a beltway road, the “rocade” or the A630 that takes you into the city or out into the other areas and into Spain. My best is to go into the Médoc, the famous area of wines but it has a lot more. From the rocade you  take exit 4 to go into central Bordeaux or exit /sortie in French to no 7 that takes you into the side D1/D2 of wine country along the Garonne river, the other exit/sortie no 8 takes you into the beaches and central area of Medoc.

The Grosse Cloche or big bell of Bordeaux is the belfry of the old city/town hall. It is one of the rare civil monuments that the city preserves from the Middle Ages. It was restored in 2016. It is located at the end of rue Saint James, at the foot of Saint Eloi Church facing rue du Mirail and slightly back from Cours Victor Hugo.

It was built in the 15C on the remains of the old Saint-Éloy Gate ,also called Saint James gate of the 13C attached to the Saint-Éloi Church of the 12C, open on the rampart of the 13C and under which the pilgrims of Saint James passed on their way to Compostela.

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It is made up of two circular towers 40 meters high connected by a central building and dominated by the golden leopard. The large bell is surmounted by a weather vane with an animal which we are often told is the golden leopard symbol of Guyenne. More likely, this leopard would in fact be the one inherited from the kings of England during the English domination of Bordeaux.  All the successive modifications made between the 15C and the 17C will transform the primitive physiognomy of this gate which has become a belfry, the bell tower of the city having been added to it since the 15C.. The city magistrates rang the bell to give the signal for the harvest and alert the population in the event of a fire. This is the reason why it has always been the symbol of the city and still appears on the city’s coat of arms today. The current bell was made in June 1775 and weighs 7,800 kg for two meters in height and diameter!

It rang the commemoration of the victory of May 8, 1945, since then,   due to its weight and the risk of cracks that could cause the vibrations of the bell, it rang only a few times when it was put back in place in the bell tower, following its restoration and during General de Gaulle’s visit to the city on April 10, 1961. Until June 2016, it rang every year five times a year. Since then, it also rings every first Sunday of the month.  The clock built in 1759 replaced that of 1567. Above it is a sundial.

The Bordeaux tourist office on the Grosse Cloche:  https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/grosse-cloche.html

The city of Bordeaux on the Grosse Cloche: https://www.bordeaux.fr/l31928/grosse-cloche-porte-saint-eloi

There you go folks ,this is Bordeaux a wonderful historical and architecturally stunning city to visit indeed. Walks its streets they are loaded with gorgeous monuments!  Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Grosse Cloche of Bordeaux as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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