Provener

Overview

Provener is a named hour observed within the Mynster that marks the community’s midday. At this time the great clock sounds and a small Provener team winds its mechanism by hand. During Apert, visitors may observe under the nave with oversight by the Ita. The winding rite is commonly accompanied by the Hylaean Anathem.

Preceding Context

Accounts connect the midday observance to the ancient rite at the Temple of Orithena, which functioned as a vast camera obscura. There, a sun‑spot cast through an oculus moved across a gridded floor and, over the seasons, traced the analemma during the community’s midday ritual—described as the antecedent of what avout now celebrate as Provener.

What Happens

• The bells sound through the Mynster and its precincts, signaling the hour.
• A designated team performs the winding in the upper works of the clock.
• Within the math, people commonly use the named hour as a rendezvous marker (e.g., agreeing to meet “when they ring Provener”).
• During Apert, viewing is permitted from public areas, with Ita supervision and device limits.

Aftermath/Consequences

• Provener typically marks the transition to the midday meal and confirms the clock’s proper winding for the remainder of the day.
• The shared cue provides practical coordination between intramuros and nearby extramuros listeners when timing matters.