nCHUYÊN ĐỀ "12 CHIẾC ĐỒNG HỒ THIÊN VĂN THỜI TRUNG CỔ" (Bài 2)
nPrague’s Old Town has iconic buildings with pastel tones and red roofs filled with the magical romance of Eastern Europe, notably the Citadel Square (Chicken Square), also known as “Staromák”, located in the center of Staré Město ward.
Here, in the Old Town Hall built in 1338, consisting of five historic buildings, each representing an era of Gothic architecture, and an unforgettable experience of patiently following the history on each narrow medieval staircase to the chapel on the second floor, you can admire the Prazsky Orloj Astronomical Clock Tower with a breathtaking view.
nThe Prazsky Orloj clock, first installed in 1410, is the third and oldest astronomical clock still operating in the world, technically consisting of three main parts:
n– Astronomical dial, symbolizing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details.
n– Footsteps of the Apostles: a clock mechanism displaying each hour a figure of the Apostles and other moving sculptures – notably a figure of Death (represented by a skeleton).
n– A calendar dial with medallions representing the months.
nGet to Old Town Square on time to witness the famous hour-telling ceremony. Every hour, small doors open, cartoon characters appear and sculptures begin to move on a medieval clock in the 15th century (1410). With Death holding an hourglass and three other sculptures representing pride, greed and joy; with the 12 Holy Apostles. When the golden rooster flaps its wings, the bell will ring to signal the change of time.
nThe most important part of the watch is the Astrolabe, an astronomical instrument in which astrologers and sailors determined their position based on the stars, sun and moon. It serves both time and navigation settings. Astrolabe consists of a large copper ring and two circular fittings connected in the middle to a bracket.
nThe specific positioning of these circular parts can indicate the position of stars in the sky. The Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Capricorn of the Northern Zone appear as circles in Astrolavos, while the zodiac signs appear along its circumference.nThe outer ring of the watch with golden numerals, indicates Old Czech Time (or Italian time)*whereby the day begins at sunset. Central European Time (or Old German Time) is determined by a golden hand.
nAnother feature of the Old Town Astronomical Clock is the display of Babylonian Time which is calculated from dawn to dusk and varies depending on the season, i.e. summer is longer than winter. The Prague clock is the only one in the world to display this.
nAt the bottom of the Watch is a calendar that shows the date, the position of the day of the week, the month, and the year. The two interlocking watches deserve extra attention. This in the form of the Moon is the most important part of the watch, as the altimeter is adjusted to local sunlight. The sun is on the same arm, as the golden hand shows the time.
nProcession of the Apostles
nAnother special feature of the Prague Clock is the parade of the Apostles. Every hour, from 09:00 to 21:00, the Apostles appear in the upper windows of the clock, holding typical objects in their hands. Above these windows is a rooster symbolizing life. The sound of the Rooster marks the beginning of the Apostles’ parade. On the left, Vanity is symbolized by a mirror shape. Next to the clock there are four pictures, including:
– The wooden statue shook its head as it admired itself in the mirror.
– The Philharmonic holds in its hands a stick and a pendulum, which swing together with a small uniform motion.
– The form of Death or Skeleton turns into an hourglass that counts the hours of human life and reminds us of our inevitable fate.
n– The shape of the Turk with the guitar symbolizes indifference and desire as human shortcomings.n
Đồng hồ cũng có tượng của Michael Archangel – Một triết gia, nhà ghi chép & một nhà thiên văn học.
nLesson: Phong Huynh – Watches Columnist – s.t & trải nghiệm thực tế.
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nCre: History Research Group – Make Christianity Great As Alwaysn
Note:n* Originated from Saint-Sulpice Cathedral (Leonardo da Vinci was a Cardinal in the past). According to the story, the Keystone was hidden beneath the Rose Line – as the World’s first GMT. The north wing of the cathedral has a long bronze bar, which is actually an ancient sundial. The movement of the sun’s rays on the south wall represents the flow of time, from the winter solstice to the summer solstice.nThose ranges are infinite; You can draw from any point on the earth; so one has to decide which is the prime meridian! In 1884, the Paris meridian and the Antwerp meridian gave way to Greenwich (GMT – Greenwich Mean Time). The north-south axis of Saint-Sulpice is not the Paris meridian but just a regular meridian.n
The next article in the series about antique astronomical clocks will be the Gros Horloge Rouen clock in Normandy, France – Crafted by Jourdain del Leche and Jean de Felain in 1389.
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See other articles on the same topic:nLesson 1: Astronomical clock inside Lund church, Sweden
