Perhaps you have visited the only permanent exhibition in France dedicated to the Spanish artist; Salvador Dali at Espace Dali on the hill of Montmartre.
Or have snapped a photo of this monumental piece of Dali entitled Chuuut! (ssshh) by Parisian street artist Jeff Aerosol with his signature arrow sitting beneath Dali’s right eye, located between the Saint Merry Church and the Pompidou Centre of Modern Art.
However, three years prior to Dali designing the familiar logo that adorns the wrapper of the popular Spanish loli-pop, Chupa Chump, he created a sundial.
I am always banging on about ‘don’t forget to look up’ and this is another good reason why.
Located behind Paroisse de Saint-Séverin, (pictured here) on the Rue Saint-Jacques and not far from the Notre Dame is where you will find this small wonder but you will need to look up!
Installed in 1966 to much fanfare which included a brass band, surrealist artisit, Salvador Dali unveiled his concrete sculpture, a sun-dial which is still fixed to the side of a building on Rue Saint-Jacques.
There are a few theories why Salvador Dali gifted this sundial to the city of Paris.
One such theory is, given Dali was Spanish and Rue Saint-Jacques was the original main route for Pilgrims to begin their journey from Paris to Santiago de Compostela.
To back up this theory, the face of the dial is in the shape of a scallop shell or in French, Coquille Saint-Jacques.
Pilgrims would wear a scallop shell to show they were taking the long pilgrimage. Above the piercing blue eyes, you can see the heat rising above the brows, indicating the arduous journey ahead.
Another story that floats around is that Dali’s friends owned a business below where the sundial is located and he wanted to show them his appreciation by way of this as a gift.
It is in remarkable condition given how long it has been here but a pity that it doesn’t work.
To the left of Dali’s signature some say that the curly detail represents Dali himself and his handlebar moustache.
Quirky but cute and it is free to visit. There are many special treats to be discovered in Paris … you just need to know where to find them.
If you have found this information interesting or useful, please leave a comment or follow me on facebook for daily tips, photos and anecdotes, your feedback encourages me to keep this site up to date. Merci!
Paris Adéle’s Information Necessaire :
Salvador Dali Sun-Dial
27 Rue Saint-Jacques
Paris, 75005
Nearest Metros: Cluny – La Sorbonne & Saint Michel – Notre Dame
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ADELE YOUR AMAZING THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE HIDDEN TREASURES IM SO GLAD TO KNOW YOU AND FOLLOW YOU ON FACE BOOK AND I LOVE LOVE YOUR BLOG SO INFORMATIVE YOU LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND ALL THAT,S LEFT FOR YOU TO DO IS WALK BESIDE US AS WE ENTER INTO THE SECRET PASSAGES OF PARIS . IM TELLING YOU I WISH I WAS RICH BECAUSE I SO WOULD MAKE SURE THAT YOU WOULD WRITE THAT BOOK NO BOOKS YOU KNOW HOW TO TELL A STORY AND TAKES IN WE FEEL LIKE WERE IN YOUR STORY THE WAY YOU TELL IT. YOU HAVE GOT A TALENT I TRULLY HOPE SOMEONE THE RIGHT PERSON READS YOUR WORK AND WILL STAND BEHIND YOU AND GET YOU STARTED ON THE WAY TO WRITE THOSE BOOKS ... YOU TRULY HAVE A TALENT GIRL PLEASE SOMEONE DISCOVER THIS GIRL
TRULY YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN
CLARA
Hello Clara
thank you so much for leaving this kind, thoughtful and gorgeous message, you are the best!
Let's hope someone does think that I am worthy of a book that would be fabulous to put all of this work and more into a lovely book.
thank you, I really appreciate your lovely message
Adèle
This is awesome! I’ll be sure to go out and look for it. Just found your website and I’m obsessed. I moved to Paris this year and love finding these little secrets. Thank you for creating this website!
I retired 31 December 2017 and 2 weeks later my husband and I were in Paris. We stayed at a small hotel on Rue Saint-Jacques although we didn’t understand the significance at the time. But within 2 months we made the decision to walk the Camino de Santiago. At ages 63 and 64, we walked 35 days from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compestella, Spain. I return in 9 days and look forward to also seeing Dali’s sundial and again walking the beginning of the Paris pilgrimage to Santiago. Maybe one of these days I’ll start there. I’m glad to know about the sundial!
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