Vertical dials

College, Noyers (Yonne, France)

Combination of a south-west declining dial and nodal dial; the upper support of the perforated disk also serves as the pole-style. Hour lines every 15 minutes, date lines for the zodiacal months. The noon line is provided with the analemma.

The dial carries quite a number of educational inscriptions:
Above the dial face:
    Unam time (Fear only time)

On top of that:
    Quis melior vitae monitor rerumque magister
    Cum doceat rapido quo fugit hora pede
Which means something like:
    Who is a better adviser for life and master of things
    then he who teaches how time is flying with a rapid pace

At the bottom:
    Itque redit que viam constans quam suspicis umbra
    Umbra fugax hommines non reditura susmus
The painter made a couple of mistakes: 'hommines' should read 'homines', and 'susmus'is 'sumus'. The meaning is:
    The shadow follows its path and returns continually
    We people are like a fleeting shadow that will not return
(Translation into Dutch: Ad van Holten/Willy Leenders)

We were here long after school hours, as you can see. The school is a former Jesuit college, founded in 1633.
Noyers is south-east of Auxerre, not far from the 'autoroute', and thus is a favorable place for a stopover, when on holiday to or from the south of France.

Location: 47.7° N, 4.0° E