The clock, Chambéry, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The clock of Place Saint-Léger is a belfry and clock rising over the corner of Rue Porte-Reine in the centre of Chambéry. It is a reminder of the medieval parish church of Saint Léger, which was demolished in the 1700s while its clock survived, and it took its present form in the early twentieth century.

The story behind it

The church of Saint Léger was built in 1240 and pulled down in 1760, when it was judged unsanitary. Only its clock remained. It was fitted to a building along the edge of the new Place Saint-Léger, which was laid out where the church had stood.

In August 1897 a fire ravaged the south side of the square, right at the height of the clock. The rebuilding gave the area a new street, Rue Porte-Reine, named after a gate opened in the city ramparts in 1737 for the marriage of Charles Emmanuel III and Elisabeth of Lorraine. The buildings went up between 1902 and 1908, mostly to designs by the architect Victor Denarié. He drew the belfry that would carry the reworked clock, and the sculptor Jean Carle made the decoration. The belfry and clock were raised in 1902, overhanging the corner where the square meets the new street.

What to look for

• Look up at the belfry itself, which juts out over the corner of the buildings between the square and Rue Porte-Reine.
• Notice the sculpted decoration around the tower, the work of Jean Carle, and how it matches the style of the rebuilt facades.
• Take in the clock face and remember that its mechanism goes back to a church that vanished more than 250 years ago.
• Read the street sign for Rue Porte-Reine and think of the gate in the ramparts that gave the street its name.

Tips for your visit

• The clock is seen from the street, so there is nothing to enter. A few minutes is enough, longer if you want to study the facades around the square.
• Daylight shows the sculpted details best, and the square is easy to look around at a relaxed pace.
• Pair it with a wander through the surrounding streets of the old town, where you can stop for a coffee between sights.
• Stand back at the far side of the square to see the belfry together with the buildings Denarié designed.

See it on a quest

The clock is one stop on Chambéry: The Minimalist’s Treasure Hunt, a self-guided walk through the city. You reach it on foot as part of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about the place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, which makes you look at the belfry and its surroundings far more closely than a quick photo would. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.