Brother Arsen Sundial

The gnomon of Brother Arsène, in Annecy

The gnomon of Brother Arsène is an astonishing sundial in the form of a star, in the Jardins de l'Europe of Annecy. The Annecy audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this singular instrument, invented by a monk to measure time.

The astonishing star-shaped sundial

This strange sundial, by its full name the gnomon of Brother Arsène, is a singular instrument located in the Jardins de l'Europe. It takes the form of a seven-branch star, able to measure time thanks to the shadow projected by the sun. Nicknamed the Unique, it was designed by a Capuchin friar, Brother Arsène, a learned and ingenious man, who imagined this complex and original device. A plaque on site explains its functioning, rather technical, which combines astronomy and geometry. A witness of human ingenuity and popular science, the gnomon of Brother Arsène is an original and little-known curiosity, to be discovered during the walk in the gardens of Annecy.

What to see

Here you discover the astonishing sundial in the form of a seven-branch star, nicknamed the Unique, able to measure time thanks to the shadow of the sun, designed by the Capuchin friar Arsène, in the Jardins de l'Europe. The gnomon of Brother Arsène is an original curiosity of Annecy. It is a stop for the curious, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The gnomon of Brother Arsène lies in the Jardins de l'Europe, by Lake Annecy, reachable on foot. It is an open-air element, freely accessible; a plaque on site explains its functioning. You discover it during a walk in the garden.

What is the gnomon of Brother Arsène in Annecy?

An astonishing sundial in the form of a seven-branch star, nicknamed the Unique, able to measure time thanks to the shadow of the sun, designed by a Capuchin friar, Brother Arsène, in the Jardins de l'Europe.

Where is the gnomon of Brother Arsène?

In the Jardins de l'Europe, by Lake Annecy, in France.