Relógio Solar de Franca, Solar clock in Franca, Brazil
The Relógio Solar de Franca is a cylindrical stone column topped with a cube, standing on Praça Nossa Senhora da Conceição in the center of Franca, Brazil. Each face of the cube is engraved with hour lines, allowing the time to be read from the shadow cast by the sun.
The structure was built between 1886 and 1887 by a French Capuchin friar named Germano de Annecy, who raised the funds for its construction from local residents. In 1972, it received heritage protection and was officially recognized as part of the city's history.
The sundial on the central square still works today and shows the time of day using the position of the sun. Visitors can watch how the shadow falls on the east face in the morning and on the west face in the afternoon.
The sundial sits on a central square in the city center and is easy to reach on foot from most nearby streets. A visit on a clear, sunny day is the best way to see the hour markings in use, since clouds make the shadow disappear.
A nearly identical vertical sundial with a cube top exists in Annecy, France, the hometown of the friar who built this one. These two structures form a pair linked by one man's journey from France to Brazil.
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