Comayagua Cathedral Clock, the oldest functioning gear clock in the world

The Comayagua Cathedral Clock, also known as the Arabic Clock or Comayagua Clock, is a medieval gear clock located in the city of Comayagua, Honduras. It is considered the oldest clock in the Americas and the oldest functioning gear clock in the world, having likely been in operation for over 900 years.

Story

View of the clock in the cathedral tower.
The gears were probably made and assembled around the year 1100 by Spanish Moors in Al-Andalus during the Almoravid period, under the rule of Yusuf ibn Tashfin. [citation needed] Before being taken to the Americas, according to chronicles, it was in use in the Arab palace of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. After the end of the Reconquista and the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Castile, the palace was occupied by the Spanish monarchs from the time of Charles V onwards in the 17th century. By order of King Philip III of Spain, the clock was moved to the Las Hibueras region (present-day Honduras) in New Spain, where it served as the town clock.

Initially, it was located in the Church of La Merced, the city's cathedral at the time, where it was installed in 1636. However, in 1711 it was moved to the recently constructed Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which at that time was the largest building in the city and one of the largest cathedrals in Central America during the Viceroyalty of New Spain. There, it was installed in the church's bell tower.

In 2007, the church was restored by the mayor's office, the National Congress of Honduras, the Comayagüense Cultural Committee, and under the supervision of the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History. Watchmaker Rodolfo Antonio Cerón Martínez from Guatemala completed the restoration on December 20, 2007, after five months of work.

Features:

Clockwork.

The clock mechanism consists of gears, ropes, weights, and a pendulum. The time is displayed on the clock face on the church facade. There, the number 4 is represented in an old Roman numeral system as IIII instead of the usual IV.

Studies and debates

For a time, the clock in Salisbury Cathedral in England was considered the oldest geared clock, having been made in 1386. However, analyses of the material revealed that it was made of iron and with a significantly older technique than the Salisbury clock. Therefore, several historians and researchers believe it to be the oldest functioning geared clock in the world.

The debate surrounding its age, however, is not yet settled. Some historians doubt the clock's assumed age, as there is no specific historical evidence that gear-driven timekeeping mechanisms were widespread in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, since most clocks of that time were powered by sand or water. Therefore, these historians place its actual date of origin around 1374.

Those who theorize that the clock actually dates from the 11th century point to a study that found it was made using wrought iron techniques – a significantly older technique than that of the Salisbury Clock. Furthermore, inscriptions bearing the date "Espana 1100" were found on one of the gears, further supporting the 11th-century dating.

Source: Wikipedia