SHARRYLAND
Museum "Clock Tower"
Come discover the world's oldest tower clock
Where is
What it is and where it is
The bell tower of Sant'Andrea is located not far from the port, in the historic center of Chioggia: seven floors of secular Clodiense history and culture await us inside. Soaring over 30 meters in height, in fact, the Clock Museum unfolds vertically, creating an evocative journey through time and tradition in the city.
Why it is special
On the ground floor, the presence on the walls of coats of arms representing the main Chioggia surnames makes one feel a strong sense of belonging to the place, not that on the upper floors this feeling is any less manifest. In fact, going up to the floor dedicated to faith and popular piety, one is deeply moved by the presence on the walls of numerous votive offerings to Our Lady of Sorrows. The heartbeat then undergoes a further leap! Not only because of the large number of steps climbed, but especially because of the extraordinary medieval clock machine that presents itself to us on the fifth floor: truly amazing! The last floor, dulcis in fundo and with the wish to be there around noon (guess why), gives us an unmissable 360° panorama!
Not to be missed
The excellently preserved tower clock device, after years of study and expertise, has been declared the oldest in the world, predating even Salisbury's coeval clock by about 40 days. But what is even more amazing is that, even if only for demonstration purposes, the ancient mechanism is still working: the weight rope is reloaded a few turns and in this way the pendulum is set in motion again: amazing!
A bit of history
The museum is located inside a bell tower that most likely dates back to the 10th century and originally served as a watch tower. In the late 1990s, during renovations, the clock mechanism was found. In fact, after study and research it was discovered that the precious artifact came from the Praetorian Palace, which was dismantled around the second decade of the 19th century due to fire damage.And the clock? Remaining with historical records, the municipality decided to deposit it with the fabrication of St. Andrew's, along with the bells, but when the new municipal building was ready they decided to take back only the latter. And so the clock remained where it was.
Trivia
This extraordinary clock has been visited and subjected to close scrutiny by distinguished experts such as Chris Mac Kay, curator of the restoration of Big Ben in London, and Marisa Addomine, president of the Italian Register of Tower Clocks.
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