Chronochasm

First Appearance and Context

During the winding aut of Provener within the Mynster, the chronochasm is described as the vast airy space behind the dials of the Præsidium where the mechanisms of the great clock come together. It is mentioned in connection with the chains, sprockets, and upper works that support and coordinate the clock’s movement.

Description and Role

The chronochasm lies behind the Præsidium’s four great dials and contains the high, open volumes through which the clock’s chains run and from which they hang on sprockets turning on interlinked shafts. Within this space the clock’s gear‑trains and escapements are gathered and coupled to the rest of the mechanism. Much higher in the Præsidium, in the upper reaches of the chronochasm, a hermetically sealed stone chamber encloses a sixth weight: a sphere of grey metal riding on a jack screw. This backup weight keeps the clock ticking while the main system is being wound. Outside of winding, it moves only if the meteorite drive weight has reached the floor (i.e., when the daily aut has not been performed). In such cases most of the mechanism disengages to conserve energy, and the clock can run in a hibernating mode for an uncertain but long span—thought to be on the order of a hundred years.

Within the chronochasm, metal stairs and galleries allow movement along the tower’s interior. From these levels an avout can look down the vertical well and keep track of activity below. An upper stair spirals to a door that opens onto the Starhenge at the top of the Præsidium.

Access and Acoustics

The chronochasm connects directly to the Starhenge via a high door. Sound from services in the Mynster carries up the well into this space; an avout moving between the Starhenge and the interior can hear the conclusion of an aut from within the chronochasm. This use underscores its role as both a high‑level passage and an acoustic conduit between the upper works and the liturgical spaces below.

Relationships and Functions

• Integrated into the Præsidium and essential to the operation of the great clock.
• Maintained and inspected by the Ita, who tend the chains, sprockets, and gearworks associated with this space.
• Connected via concealed gear‑trains to mechanisms below the chancel and to other adjuncts (e.g., gates and orreries) driven by the clock’s power.

Current Status

In regular use during the daily aut at Provener. Historical accounts note that the backup weight housed within the chronochasm has sustained timekeeping across major disruptions—such as during the Sacks or widespread illness—when winding could not be performed, before normal operation resumed.