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Actuality
Anniversairesenfants |
The Solstices in Thoiry |
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The castle, perched at the top of a small hill, stands at the level of the horizon lines, not to change the axis of the sunrise, at the summer solstice, and the one of the sunset, at the winter solstice, by the difference in altitude. Filled with Sun, the castle was made as a transparent bridge of light. At the Summer Solstice, on the morning of June 21st each year, the Sun seems to rise in the castle's central arch, the Grand Vestibule, and is reflected in the water mirror of the northeast parterre, nearly 1100 yards away. The sun's blazing reflection is a visual reminder that Life was born from the alliance between water and solar fire. At the Winter Solstice, the evening of December 21st, the last rays of the Sun shine through the Vestibule, as if the Sun drifts off into the night and fades away in the castle to take a little rest. The builders of the castle of Thoiry wanted to use the surrounding landscape as a solar calendar, with the horizon for dial, the castle for pivot and the perspectives for hands. |
