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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house is located at Saint-Véran in the Hautes-Alpes, dating from the 2nd quarter of the 19th century. It is best known for its sundial, made by Piedmontese painter Giovanni Francesco Zarbula. The latter, active between 1833 and 1881, designed about 100 sundials in the French and Italian Alps, some 50 of which remain today. His works, precise within five minutes, are distinguished by their declining vertical style and their fresco painted decorations, often decorated with astronomical or geometric symbols.

Zarbula, originally from Piedmont, concentrated its activity in a restricted geographical area, bounded by Valloire, Fenestrelle, Argentera and Seyne. Its dials, installed on rural buildings such as houses or farms, reflect a technique adapted to the latitude of 45°, guaranteeing their accuracy. In the Hautes-Alpes, seven of its dials, including that of Saint-Véran, have been protected as historical monuments since 1996. This dial, located on the southern facade of the house, illustrates the artistic and scientific heritage of Zarbula in the region.

The Forannes house is part of a series of similar achievements, reflecting the cultural and technical exchanges between the French and Italian Alpine valleys in the 19th century. The sundial, beyond its practical function, also embodies a local decorative tradition, where art and science blend together to mark the rural architectural landscape. Today, this heritage remains a remarkable example of the work of Zarbula, preserved despite the hazards of time.

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