Bourges astronomical clock
The Bourges astronomical clock is an astronomical clock in Bourges Cathedral in Bourges, France. The clock was designed by Jean Fusoris and installed in November 1424. It was given by Charles VII (the "Little King of Bourges" – at this point of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII ruled only a small area around his court at Bourges, with Henry VI of England recognised as King of England and France) to the townspeople of Bourges, on the occasion of the baptism of his son the Dauphin (the future Louis XI).
Bourges astronomical clock
PMRMaeyaert · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Region
- France.
- Related practice
- wood.
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Bourges astronomical clock. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3140590 · wikipedia · Bourges astronomical clock
In this article
History
History
It is the oldest extant astronomical clock in France.
The clock was installed on the occasion of the baptism of the future Louis XI. It was designed by Jean Fusoris, mathematician and canon, and constructed by André Cassart, locksmith. The case was painted by Jean Grangier (or Jean of Orléans). The clock was initially placed on the cathedral's rood screen, which was removed in 1757. It was then placed in a side aisle of the cathedral until the 19th century, then put into storage in the crypt.
Restorations
Restorations
The clock has undergone several rounds of restoration, in 1782, 1822, 1841, and in 1872, when the old mechanism was replaced by a simpler one in the upper part of the clock, which shows only the hours. The zodiac calendar was restored in 1973. In 1986, a fire caused serious damage to the clock, leading to a thorough restoration project which aimed to return the clock to its original state. In 1994, the clock was reinstated in the cathedral, after a complete restoration, with the mechanism of 1424 replaced by an exact copy. The original mechanism was conserved, and is on display in the cathedral. In the 1990s, a facsimile of the clock's main dial was made, and placed in the town's tourist office.
Dimensions
Dimensions
• width of the case: • depth of the case: • height of the case: • length of the mechanism: • width of the mechanism: • height of the mechanism:
Description
Housed in a belfry-shaped case, the clock is the oldest surviving astronomical clock in France, and one of the oldest clocks after the 14th-century clock in Beauvais Cathedral. Its upper dial, installed in the 19th century, has two hands and shows the 12-hour time; the more complex lower dial shows the following: • the 24-hour time of day, and the position of the Sun in the sky; • the lunar cycle and phase; • the time of year, as the position of the Sun in the zodiac. All of these are read from the single arrow pointer: the hour on the outer ring numbered I to XII twice in black on white; the day of the lunar month on the ring numbered I to XXIX in gold on blue (with the lunar phase appearing in a circular aperture in this ring), and the annual position of the Sun on the inner ring showing the signs of the zodiac. The bell on top of the case roof chimes the hour. The three bells to the side of the case at the base of the roof chime the quarter hours: A at the first quarter, AD at the half hour, AGD at the third quarter, and AGAD (the first four notes of the Salve Regina) on the hour. The clock has been claimed to be very accurate, to within one second per 150 years; an impossibility in such an old clock.
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Bourges astronomical clock stands. Recorded as astronomical clock. Located at Bourges Cathedral. Situated in France. clock lies within Bourges.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3140590: Bourges astronomical clock
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Bourges astronomical clock”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Bourges astronomical clock, revision 1309728353 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Chevalier, Michel. La France des cathédrales : du IV e au XX e. Éditions Ouest-France. 327. 1997.
- 2.Poulle, Emmanuel. L'horloge astronomique de la cathédrale de Bourges. Bulletin de la Société nationale des Antiquaires de France. 1961. 1. 168–175. 1963. 10.3406/bsnaf.1963.6557.
- 3.Bougelot, Alain. L'horloge astronomique de la cathédrale de Bourges - Son Histoire - Sa Réhabilitation.
- 4.Poulle, Emmanuel. L'horloge astronomique de Bourges. Bulletin de l'association nationale des collectionneurs d'horlogerie. ANCAHA. 113. 21–32. 2008.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Poulle, Emmanuel. Un constructeur d'instruments astronomiques au XV e : Jean Fusoris. Champion. 1963.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Clocks
110 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- AudichronTerminology
- automaton clockTerminology
- Beauvais astronomical clockTerminology
- binary clockTerminology
- bracket clockTerminology
- Cartel clockTerminology
- Casio CA-53WTerminology
- Casio F-91WTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Bourges astronomical clock?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.