The clock of the Saint-Volusien abbey church

By Sarah Dejean Duran, December 29, 2023

Reading time: 3 min.

It's impossible to miss the sublime Saint-Volusien abbey church when you walk through the streets of the town of Foix. The architecture of this abbey is a real treasure... And one treasure can hide another! A true jewel of Fuxé's heritage, the clock of this building which was created in 1880 is impressive for its history and the goldsmith's work behind it.

The Saint-Volusien clock is a mechanical clock. She was made in 1880 à Morbier in the upper Jura by the Francis Paget watchmaking house.

If the watchmaking tradition in the upper Jura dates back to the 17th century, with the Mayet brothers, it was in the XNUMXth century that clock production developed in Morbier, Morez and Foncine-le-Haut. The famous farm clocks were manufactured there, but also numerous building clocks for town halls and churches.

The Saint-Volusien clock was installed in the bell tower in the 1910s. All the parts were made by hand.

The Saint-Volusien clock is a true work of art, a unique know-how.

Sarah Déjean-Duran

Mechanism of the clock of the Saint-Volusien Abbey Church in Foix — OT FAP

From 1968 to 1995, Claude Delpy, watchmaker jeweler in Foix, ensured his maintenance. Every week, he climbed the 122 steps who led him to the 3rd floor of the bell tower to dust off the clock and proceed to setting the time. He also had to regularly oil the clock mechanism. There steel blade which connected the pendulum was very sensitive to temperature, expanding in summer or contracting in winter. It was then necessary adjust the mechanism to guarantee the good hour.

Le Time change was established in France following the oil crisis of 1973-1974. This represented more work for the watchmaker. Indeed, "although it was possible to move the time forward quite easily, it could not be moved back. In the fall, because we could not go back in time, we had to stop the clock motor and wait” (extract from the Gazette of 09/11/2022).

All one ingenious device made it possible to connect the clock mechanism to the hammer which sounded the music of the bells. Thus, the abbey clock punctuated the daily life of the people of Fuxé until the end of the 20th century.

Discover the details of the mechanism

That's when the clock has been computerized, making obsolete le Jura mechanism. He remained in the bell tower where he risked being damaged. Claude Delpy asked for it to be restored and enhanced. The Mayor of Foix, Norbert Meler responded favorably to this request. The clock was restored by Philippe Marty, rope access technician and restaurateur from Toulouse. The mechanism is now on display at the entrance to the Saint-Volusien abbey church.

In December 2020, UNESCO included the watchmaking know-how and artistic mechanics of the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.