Yes, so you are going to tell us “oh yes, but I know La Grosse Cloche!”. Yes, finally, ask yourself anyway, dear reader, and read us to the end, just to really get to know the most emblematic of the gates of Bordeaux.
Say, tell me the story of The Big Bell
Already, an incongruous info: originally, the door did not have a bell and was called Saint-Eloi. Porte Saint-Eloi is the only surviving gate built in the XNUMXth century. Respect, therefore. However, its current look dates from much later, because history, and in particular that of architecture, has been there.
During a first restoration, in 1449, only two towers were preserved, raising them and connecting them by a construction which shelters a bell. A century later, to calm the Bordeaux revolts, King Henry II abolished the city's privileges and had the “Grosse Cloche” and the clock removed. Say, it's no joke at this time.
A hundred years later, 2nd restoration session: and yes, imagine that a fire broke out at the Town Hall and that the fire damaged one of the towers of our favorite bell.
The huge bell, which can also be called a “bourdon” is called Armande-Louise: it's true, all this time, we didn't even know she had a first name!
On her dress are struck the arms of France, of the city, the coat of arms of Marshal Richelieu, governor of the province of Guyenne, godfather of the bell and that of the Duchess of Aiguillon, her godmother. That makes dedications!
We come to your next question: on what occasion does it ring? Well, it sounds several times a year, on the occasion of major celebrations: January 1, May 1 and 8, July 14, August 28 (Liberation of Bordeaux in 1944) and November 11 in 11 a.m. but also on the 00st Sunday of each month at noon (it's important, we're all on foot in the city center!) and during the nature festival in the Saint-Eloi district.
The two clocks that adorn the north and south facades of the "Grosse Cloche" are remarkable and deserve special attention. The one installed to the north is set in a stone frame made during the Renaissance. One could read the indications of the hours and the lunar phases in three dimensions using a rotating sphere.
The astronomical clock imagined in 1759 by the mathematician and astronomer Paul Larroque is installed to the south and a master locksmith from Bordeaux develops the complex workings. Its half-moon pediment houses a solar equation dial which, when active, allowed a certain number of minutes to be added or subtracted from solar time depending on the period. This 1912th century clock has been preserved and the mechanical watchmaker Gaston-Jean Guignan replaced and simplified the mechanism in 2020. In January XNUMX, the latter was completely overhauled, and it started again for a turn of the dial of several years! During a recent restoration, the “Grosse Cloche” was brought to light. When night falls, the building is enveloped in a blue-Klein light that gives it an unreal and magical appearance. Iconic, right?
The Big Bell,
Bordeaux
The door and the towers, known as the Big Bell, are classified as historical monuments.
To see and do near the Grosse Cloche
The Aquitaine Museum
The Aquitaine Museum, halfway between the Grosse Cloche and the Pey Berland Tower, is the sanctuary of Bordeaux and New Aquitaine from the first occupations until the 2th century. Labeled “Museum of France”, it retraces, with its permanent route, 000 years of history. It is at the Aquitaine Museum that more than 4 objects unearthed during numerous successive excavations in the city of Bordeaux are exhibited.
during major urbanization works: ceramics, funerary steles, statues, sculptures, various objects, etc.
Collections from the XNUMXth century bear witness to the city's golden age, while its temporary exhibitions complete and enhance the visit.
