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The clock pavilion - North side of the cathedral : Different views - over time

This small Renaissance-style aedicula was built around 1520-21 by architect Jehan de Beauce to house a new clock mechanism. The first floor is earlier – probably 14th century.
In addition to the dial visible from the forecourt, the gearing system was linked by a surveyor’s chain to the gong at the top of the north spire – thus activating the hour chimes.

Current state. The clock pavilion was restored in 1992, with funding from the Association ‘Les Amis de la cathédrale de Chartres’.
Winter’s night, under a fine deposit of snow.
At the 2009 Festival of Light.
Taken around 1900. Note that the print is reversed.
Engraving from Bulteau’s monograph – drawing circa 1860.
Enhanced watercolor by Chartres-born artist Pierre Guillon – circa 1990. In this way, we can explore “different techniques on the spot and in action, a site, a landscape, different manifestations of people and animals. Let your mind and imagination wander. What a joy! What satisfaction, to proclaim life, the work of men, to create the beauty of the environment… ».
Print signed ‘Rouargue frères’ – circa 1840/45. The document appears to be highly accurate. Along the north aisle, adjoining the clock pavilion, you can still see the ‘chambre aux mortiers’ building. It was demolished in 1850-51, during restoration work on the north tower. The houses adjoining the south aisle were demolished in 1852.
Lithograph – circa 1840/45. This work, contemporary with the previous one, uses a perfectly identical framing. This was the most widely used viewpoint in the 19th century, appealing to artists influenced by the Romantic movement.
Engraving – first half of the 19th century.
Lithograph – circa 1840-45. This little-known work is remarkable for its graphic quality and documentary interest. Under the north porch, a sketch of the former Baroque-style gateway to the Notre Dame de Sous-Terre crypt (circa 1656). In the foreground, the door to the mortar chamber, with its characteristic corbels, appears to date from the 13th century. Finally, the picturesque sign hanging from the wide transept buttress reads: Concierge des clochers et Cryptes.
Photograph by Charles Nègre – 1849 (not 1854 – as indicated at the sale of the object – at Sothebys). Probably the earliest photograph of the Pavillon de l’horloge. The chambre aux mortiers, which disappeared the following year, had been built on the initiative of the cathedral chapter, to house certain departments of the œuvre Notre Dame, in charge of the building’s works.