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Origin and history

The sundial of the Col de Cabre is an exceptional monument engraved directly in the rock, located in La Beaume (Hautes-Alpes), on the departmental road 993 leading to the Col de Cabre. Sculpted on a flattened 35 m2 rock surface and 7 m high, it is slightly inclined and declining to the west. The inscription at its summit, "1807 - 4th year of the reign of Napoleon the Great. O you who pass through these places see the work of Ladoucette. He makes me talk to you. You follow the road he made. "It's a tribute to its sponsor and road engineering at the time.

Built in 1807, this sundial commemorates Charles-François de Ladoucette, Baron d'Empire and Prefect of the Hautes-Alpes, at the origin of the road connecting Gap to Valencia by the Col de Cabre. This road project, which was ambitious at the time, aimed to open up the region and facilitate trade. The monument, inscribed in historical monuments since 1986, thus symbolizes both a technical feat and a political testimony of the Napoleonic era.

The restoration of the dial in 1990 by Atelier Tournesol marked a turning point in its preservation. The site, complex due to the difficult access (50 metres above the road), required a scaffolding fixed to the wall and specialized work to clean the table invaded by vegetation and lichens. This intervention enabled the monument to be readable and brilliant, while stressing its heritage importance for the Hautes-Alpes department.

The sundial of the Cabre Pass illustrates the ingenuity of time measurement techniques in the 19th century, while serving as a historical marker for travellers. Its registration in 1986 and its subsequent restoration reflect the desire to preserve this unique heritage, both scientific, artistic and memorial. Today, it remains a major point of interest for lovers of history and alpine landscapes.

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