If you look up while walking around the Conciergerie, you’ll come face to face with Paris’ oldest public clock.
Installed in 1371 following a commission of king Charles V, it’s been restored over the centuries, most recently in 2012, and it still works to this day !
We owe the original work to Henri de Vic, clockmaker from Lorraine (northeastern France). The face was then changed at the end of the 16th century.
Standing out well against a blue background adorned with fleur-de-lis calling to mind France, the clock is surrounded by two allegories : Law on the left, and Justice on the right.
If you take a closer look at the arcade protecting it, symbols resembling intertwined letters appear. They are the monograms of two kings who wanted to leave their mark as monarchs. We can then distinguish the H and C of Henri II and Catherine de Medici as well as the H and M of Henri IV and Margaret of Valois.