![The clock](/_next/image?url=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A4000%2Fimages%2Fa%2Fc6%2F38%2F54%2Fc638548b-bce0-4dc7-a694-5d35bc8150d2.jpg&w=3840&q=70)
The belfry was the symbol of the city power in the Middle-Ages! Rouen's belfry, this "Big Clock" (Gros Horloge in French) wasn't an exception.
We found here a primitive belfry, called tour Massacre ("Slaughter tower"), which used to house bells called Ribaud and Rouvel.
In 1382, king Charles VI the Mad decided to punish inhabitants because they rebelled: he razed the tower and removed the bells... so there!I
In 1389, Rouen city owned the bells and re-raised the current belfry. The current clock was erected on a Renaissance arch (dating back to 1527).