Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tower of the Clock, known as "Tour Louis XVI", is a vestige of the former church of Saint-Gengoult in Varennes-en-Argonne, in the department of Meuse. Built in the 4th quarter of the 18th century, this stone quadrangular tower, topped by a slate roof and an openworked lantern, houses a dial clock. It was erected in 1793, two years after the arrest of Louis XVI and his family under a vault of the church, a key event of the French Revolution.

Before the Revolution, the church of the castle formed a vault above the road, in front of which was the inn of Bras d'Or. After the fire of the tower by the Germans in 1914, during World War I, it was rebuilt during the interwar period. The clock, by Louis-Delphin Odobey de Morez (Jura), is a remarkable element of the belfry. The tower has been listed as historic monuments since October 30, 1989.

The tower symbolizes a pivotal moment in the history of France, linked to the flight and arrest of Louis XVI. Its architecture, combining stone and slate, reflects the construction techniques of the late eighteenth century. Today, it remains a tangible testimony to the political and architectural upheavals of this time, while being a visual landmark in the Varennes-en-Argonne landscape.

External links