Relógio Solar de Franca, Solar clock in Franca, Brazil

The Relógio Solar de Franca is a vertical sundial over 3 m tall, built as a cylindrical body topped by a cube whose faces carry the hour markings read from the sun's shadow. It was assembled between 1886 and 1887 by the French Capuchin friar Germano de Annecy, who was in Brazil to direct the Empire's Meteorological Observatory. It is one of only two sundials of its type in the world, the other standing in Annecy, France.

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 is read on the four vertical faces of the cube at its top, one for each direction, where the hour is marked by the shadow rather than the light. It is one of the city's symbols and, with its twin in Annecy, France, one of only two of its kind in the world.

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.