A clock gone mad: Rome's ever-misleading timepiece
| Last updated: October 2024 |
Earlier this month, I shared the story of how Pope Pius IX introduced the 'Cannone del Mezzogiorno' in 1847. This initiative aimed to synchronize the clocks and coordinate the time when churches in Rome rang their bells. However, I know of at least one clock in Rome that, despite this measure, still shows the wrong time. I'm talking about the clock that decorates the facade of the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà (Google Maps), often called the 'Crazy Clock.' But before diving deeper into this Roman curiosity, let me share a little bit of history.
The Crazy Clock decorates the facade of Palazzo del Monte di Pietà. In the bottom right, there's a marble relief depicting Jesus emerging from the tomb with open arms. It is the symbol of the Monti di Pietà.
Monte di Pietà
As the name suggests, the Palazzo is home to the city's Monte di Pietà. These institutions started in 15th-century Italy and gave poor people access to loans with a reasonable interest rate. The idea was to combat the sin of usury. This practice involves giving out loans that unfairly benefit the lender.
The Monte di Pietà relied on acquiring a "monte." You might know that "monte" means mountain in Italian, but it alsoused to refer to a sum of money. The funds came from voluntary donations made by wealthy individuals who didn't expect to get their money back. These generous donors contributed out of pity or compassion (or "pietà" in Italian). People in need could then visit the Monte di Pietà and exchange an item of value for a monetary loan. The loan term lasted a year and was worth about two-thirds of the item's value. The loan had a fixed interest rate, and the profits covered the operating costs of the Monte di Pietà.
In 1462, Perugia established the first recorded Monte di Pietà. The Roman branch of the Monte di Pietà followed in 1539, during Pope Paul III's reign.
The Palazzo
The city's Monte di Pietà originally resided on Via dei Coronari. However, in 1603, it moved to the current Palazzo, which used to belong to the Petrignani family from Amelia.
The Palazzo's facade features a majestic aedicula, with a stunning marble relief at its center depicting Jesus emerging from the tomb with open arms. This image serves as the emblem of the Monti di Pietà. Flanking it are the coats of arms of Pope Paul III (top right), who founded the Monte di Pietà in Rome. On the top left is the coat of arms of Pope Clement VIII, who purchased the Palazzo in 1603.
In 1759, as space became increasingly insufficient, the organization purchased an adjacent building. This wasn't just any building; it was the "Casa Grande" of the Barberini family, who had relocated to their new Palazzo Barberini on Quirinal Hill. In 1768, the two buildings housing the Monte di Pietà were connected by a flyover called the "Arco del Monte."
Today, the building that once belonged to the Petrignani family serves as the headquarters for Affide. They are the largest company in Italy's credit estimation sector.
The clock shows a few minutes past 6, but my phone indicates it's about 15 minutes later. The time difference varies throughout the day.
The Crazy Clock
Now, let's return to the clock. Toward the end of the 18th century, the clock was installed on the facade of the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà. Although a renowned German watchmaker created it, the clock has a major flaw—it never shows the correct time!
According to legend, the watchmaker felt dissatisfied with the payment because it was lower than they had agreed upon. As revenge, he sabotaged the clock to ensure it always showed the wrong time. It's said that he even engraved these verses on the dial: "Per non essere state a nostre patte/Orologio del Monte sempre matte." This translates to "For not having met our agreement/The clock of the Monte will always be crazy."
Whether this legend is true will always remain a mystery. Over time, the clock has had at least three different mechanisms. The first clock, which was tampered with, dates back to the 18th century. The second clock was installed in the 19th century and is now on display inside the building. The third clock is the current one. It's doubtful that the original tampering has somehow transferred to all the subsequent mechanisms. However, the fact remains that the clock has never indicated the right time. If you visit the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, you can see for yourself.
