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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Île de France
  4. Essonne
  5. 91260 Juvisy-sur-Orge

  6. Pyramid of Juvisy-sur-Orge

 Pyramid of Juvisy-sur-Orge dans l'Essonne

Patrimoine classé
Monument
Pyramide

Pyramid of Juvisy-sur-Orge

    68 Avenue de la Cour de France
    91260 Juvisy-sur-Orge
Description: A commemorative plaque erected in 1788 had the following inscription: "The axis of the pyramid indicates the austral term of a base which is to be used to verify the degree of the meridian. The Boreal term of this first base begins at the axis of the pyramid built in Villejuif. Length of base following the toise that served in Lapland, five thousand seven hundred sixteen toises five feet. Corbel S. 1788 ". This plate is no longer visible, now replaced by another inscription: "Pyramid of Juvisy. South extreme of the geodetic base of Villejuif at Juvisy. 1670. Picard. 1740. J. Cassini and Lacaille. Property of the Academy of Sciences". Ownership of the municipality
Museums of France
All statues, arches and monuments classified in France Pyramid
Pyramide de Juvisy-sur-Orge
Pyramide de Juvisy-sur-Orge
Pyramide de Juvisy-sur-Orge
Pyramide de Juvisy-sur-Orge
Crédit photo : Deletere - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1670
Measures by Jean Picard
14 mai 1756
Laying the first stone
1788
Original commemorative plaque
20 juin 1942
Historical monument classification
années 1970
Moving the obelisk
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Pyramid, southern term of the base of departure of the meridian of Abbé Picard : classification by decree of 20 June 1942

Key figures

Jean Picard - Astronome and Geodesian Measured the meridian arc in 1670.
J. Cassini - Astronomy Cited on the plaque for his work in 1740.
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille - Astronomy Associated with 1740 measurements on the plate.
Le Monnier - Scientist present in 1756 Witness the laying of the first stone.
d'Alembert - Mathematician and philosopher Present at the inauguration in 1756.
Trudaine de Montigny - Administrator of Bridges and Chaussées Participated in the ceremony of 1756.

Origin and history

The Juvisy-sur-Orge pyramid is a memorial erected in the city centre, at the intersection of Avenue de la Cour-de-France and Avenue Jules-Vallès. It is a limestone obelisk placed on a parallelepipedic base, bearing an inscription recalling its role in the geodetic measures of Abbé Jean Picard in the 17th century. The current plaque states: "Pyramid of Juvisy. South end of Villejuif geodesic base in Juvisy. 1670. Picard. 1740. J. Cassini and Lacaille. Property of the Academy of Sciences". A first plaque, laid in 1788, has now disappeared.

The obelisk was built in 1756 to commemorate the works of Jean Picard, who measured between 1669 and 1670 the meridian arch between Paris and Amiens using the straight line road of Villejuif to Juvisy, parallel to the meridian. The first stone was laid on 14 May 1756 in the presence of renowned scientists such as Le Monnier, d'Alembert and Trudaine de Montigny. This monument marks the southern end of the geodetic base used for these pioneering calculations.

Ranked a historic monument on June 20, 1942, the obelisk was moved in the 1970s when the National Highway 7 was enlarged. Although its present location no longer has precise scientific value, it retains a strong symbolic dimension, recalling the advances of French astronomy and geodesy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The pyramid remains the property of the Academy of Sciences, emphasizing its heritage and scientific importance.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum