Project

Sint Barbarakirche

Sint Barbarakirche

The workshop of Jacob Ten Hoeve is full of clocks, waiting for the moment to leave the shop and start fulfilling their destined task of ticking the hours away. This certainly applied to this towerclock, built by Ungerer from Strasbourg.

“I bought this clock about 25 years ago from a dealer” Jacob ten Hoeve recalls, “He had acquired the clock on one of his many visits to France. As a result of the secularisation and the closing down of churches in France many towerclocks became available. I saw this clock and really liked it, although at the time I didn’t have the slightest idea when and where I would have a use for it. However, I knew that sometime the right opportunity would present itself”.

Pastor Von Schwartzenberg, of the St. Barbarachurch regularly visits Friesland. One one of these occasions he walks into Jacob’s shop. After frequent contacts he inquires about designing and building an extraordinary clock for his church. The clock is to be centrally placed in the church and, at a height of three meters be well visible from all sides.


Inspiration

Upon receiving a clear explanation of the requirements, the first step is to get inspiration. Jacob ten Hoeve: “If I have to develop new ideas, I usually go to bed early to make sure that I wake up around half past three. Then I’ve got the time to contemplate the things that I will need and make some notes or drawings. Often around dawn I can already clearly see the outline of the design. And then I begin”

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The beginning

In this project the space in which the clock was to be placed played an important role. It was going to be fitted inside an existing triangular hollow column with sides measuring 1,5 meters. “First I made an aluminum triangle on the floor from which the final frame was built-up. This frame will later fit smoothly into the column. The next step was to mount the clock into the frame. And then it was time to work on the weights that power the clock's mechanism".


Stained glass

The St. Barbarakirche is a beautiful church where large windows with stained glass play an important role. These gorgeous panels in various colors inspired Jacob: "A long-time friend of mine is a glaser and specialises in stained glass windows. So in accordance with pastor Von Schwartzenberg I used two heavy panels of stained glass instead of the traditional metal weights". The colors that adorn the church-windows are repeated in the weights, resulting in a harmonic ensemble. The stained glass panels naturally lend themselves to the use of symbolism: one depicts the 'Lamb of God' and the other 'Death'.

Dial

Another remarkable feature of this timepiece and a special desire of pastor Von Schwartzenberg was that it should display the eight canonical hours of the Roman Catholic Church. Also known as the Liturgy of the Hours, eight prayers, evenly spaced over 24 hours of the day are prescribed to the monks, nuns and laymen.

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These prayer-hours are all depicted on the clock-face with their Latin names. Therefore it was necessary to implement a 24-hour hand as well as a 24-hour dial. Additionally, on this dial night and day are symbolised by sun and stars. A distinctive feature of the single hand is it's color: sky blue. This choice of color in combination with the frosted glass of the dial gives the clock a bright and modern look. An important detail at the tip of the hour-hand is in the sign in form of an eight, which has no beginning nor end, symbolising eternity.


Pendulum

Just like the weights and the dial, the pendulum is bearing the symbols alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The biblical expression "I am the alpha and the omega" signifies the beginning and the end.

Departure

Every beginning has an end and so the time has come for the clock to be delivered and installed in it's destined environment. Jacob tells what this means: "If you ask me honestly, I'm always a bit sad when a clock leaves the workshop. After all it is some kind of a spiritual child. Especially in this project a rigid deadline had to be met; the finished clock only remained in the workshop for a few days before being delivered. Jacob: "I would rather have it stay for a few months, so I can walk around it, contemplate my creation and let it sink in. But an important aspect of this project was that it gave me a lot of inspiration for new designs. Especially the triangular concept has broadened my horizon. The three open sides ensure that a clockwork comes up well. Enough ideas for a new project".

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Designed by Jac. ten Hoeve