The Gros Horloge of Rouen !!!

Posted in Europe, France

In my nostalgic saga of my family visits to wonderful places in my belle France, we found one sublime City, Take your time to visit Rouen, it is sublime to say the least and of course , a must to visit, The gorgeous city in the Seine-Maritime dept 76 of the region of Normandie. We have come here often many times, and glad to finally be back again, this time from the Morbihan breton ! . I have my wonderful memories with family visits and even if we are fewer today, the memories lingered forever, I like to tell you more of the Gros Horloge of Rouen ,Hope you enjoy the post as I

Rouen Gros Horloge front jun23

The construction, attached to a belfry, consists of a Renaissance arch spanning the rue du Gros-Horloge surmounted by an astronomical clock from the 14C.

Rouen Gros Horloge belltower back jun23

The Rue du Gros-Horloge is the main public pedestrian thoroughfare in Rouen. It leads from Place du Vieux-Marché to Notre-Dame Cathedral and crosses Rue Jeanne-d’Arc, near the Gros-Horloge. In 1527, the street was spanned by a stone arch, which then led to the old town hall. It bore the names of “Grande-Rue”, “rue Courvoiserie”, “rue Massacre”, “rue Vanterie”, “rue Wanterie” before reverting to the name “Grande-Rue” during the French revolution ,before taking its present name. In 1932, the first Monoprix store in France opened there, under the name Noma, a contraction of “new store”. In 1971, the street became the first pedestrian street in France. The main building on the street is the Gros-Horloge. There are also many half-timbered houses, some of which are corbelled. Three of them could be prior to the torture of Joan of Arc in 1431. The Rue du Gros-Horloge contains the following buildings, protected as historical monuments my favorites are of course the Gros-Horloge and its fountain, Tour du Beffroi, The Gros Horloge is a Renaissance pavilion spanning the street via a low arch. On the double Renaissance dial, the single hand points to the hour. Under the number VI, the divinity which symbolizes the day of the week appears, at noon, on a triumphal chariot. Above the dial a globe indicates the phases of the moon. Sheep everywhere remind us of the importance of working with wool. The Easter lamb, represented in the center of the arcade, symbolizes the arms of the city.

Rouen rue du Gros Horloge jun23

The museum allows you to see the watchmaker’s workshop, the bells, the weights, the machines, the dome. The different exhibition rooms are related to the building and the history of Rouen. The upper platform offers a panorama over the rooftops of the city and Notre-Dame Cathedral.  The Rue du Gros-Horloge was engraved in 1885 by Camille Pissarro.  The Gros-Horloge is represented in a medallion of the main door of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lebanon in New York.

The City of Rouen on its Gros Horloge : https://rouen.fr/gros-horloge

The Rouen tourist office on the Gros Horloge : https://en.visiterouen.com/offers/le-gros-horloge-rouen-en-3940868/

There you go folks, a dandy historical and architecturally stunning Gros Horloge of Rouen ,one to be visit for sure. one of the places to see in wonderful Rouen. Again, hope you enjoy the post 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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