Ottawa  

 Sundial: 127
State/Province:  Ontario Country:  Canada
Dial Type:  Vertical Dial Condition:  Good
  Latitude and Longitude: 45° 25.900' N  75° 41.900' W
Location:
  • Mother House of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa
    Corner of Sussex Drive and Bruyere Street
 
Description:
  • Two vertical declining dials declining 58.1° west and 31.9° east on adjacent sides of the south corner of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa Mother House. The southwestern dial is approximately 7x8 feet (2.1m x 2.4m) and the southeastern dial is approximately 7x4 feet (2.1m x 1.2m) The dials are of gray plaster with black painted iron gnomons (the southwestern one being slightly bent). The southwestern dial has hour lines from 10 AM to 7 PM and the southeastern dial has hour lines from 7 AM to 3 PM. These dials predate the use of time zones and show local solar time. Mayall in his book on Sundials (p. 229) erroneously described this dial as on Mint Tower. Rather, Elisabeth Bruyere, Foundress of Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, wrote "In the course of the same winter, Fr. Allard had built a double sundial of great dimension on the southwest angle of the house (corner of Bolton and Sussex streets) which, even today, continues to give the correct time, as it did in Bruyere's time; she greatly appreciated the convenience. The work presupposed an advanced knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. It was the first of its kind in Canada."
 
General Information:
  • Owner: Sisters of Charity of Ottawa
  • Designer: Father Jean-Francois Allard, OMI, born in France 1806, resident in Canada 1843-1851
  • Builder: Father Jean-Francois Allard, OMI, born in France 1806, resident in Canada 1843-1851
  • Construction Date: March, 1851; restored 1980, 1994
 

Attachments Available:

Last Revised: 2025-08-08 21:12