Hi all,
I've come across a reference to "transalpine
hours" in Heilbron's excellent "The Sun in the Church" (pg
66). This is a term which escaped me when I was compiling the BSS
Glossary. Can someone supply a definition, please.
Regards,
John
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The term Transalpine Hours ("hora
oltramontana", I think) was used in Italy to describe the time-keeping
system prevailing in Northern Europe, with noon at 12 o'clock, as distinct
from Italian hours, reckoned from sunset. There is an example on the
sundial on the facade of the church of Santa Maria Novella in
Florence.
Interestingly, there is an English word
"ultramontane" (literally "transalpine") which means
"excessively loyal to the papacy".
So it seems to be a term of disapproval, its precise
significance depending on which side of the Alps you live.
Regards -
John Lynes
4 Aigburth Avenue, St Georges Road,
Hull HU3 3QA, England.
