The gnomon of the church of Saint-Sulpice
Place Saint-Sulpice
Open daily from 8:30 am to 17:15
Beyond the wandering tourists from verifying the words of Da Vinci Code, the church of Saint-Sulpice has a true gnomon dating from the eighteenth century. Located in the left wing of the transept, the astronomical measuring instrument consists of a vertical rod that projects the shadow of the sun or the moon on a level surface to measure their height above the horizon. This consists of an obelisk of white marble, of about ten meters high, surmounted by a sphere which is descending a copper line that runs to the ground then over 40 meters across the choir and the north transept.
Commissioned in 1727 by the parish priest to determine precisely the vernal equinox in March and Easter Sunday, the meridian was first designed by Henri de Sully watchmaker who wanted to make one that can give the hours from noon to Paris but it died before he fulfilled his order. It was taken and modified by the astronomer Charles Monnier in 1743, assisted by engineer Claude Langlois, the origin of the famous copper rose embedded in the ground between strips of white marble.
Today, this meridian no longer works only partially, one eye in the window that lets the sun's rays are misplaced. Its operation is nevertheless explained in detail in a text placed on a desk not far from the gnomon.
Recently, given the many claims which appear in the novel by Dan Brown and concerning in particular the famous meridian, another to the attention of sightseers was added at first, it begins "Contrary to fanciful allegations contained in a recent bestselling novel, the meridian line of Saint-Sulpice is not a vestige of a pagan temple that existed in this place .... "
more info in the guide "Paris failed" Publishing Jonglez: www.editionsjonglez.com
