Day Gate

First Appearance and Context

The Day Gate is part of the great complex of the Mynster. In descriptions of the interior, the Great Orrery stands in the narthex or lobby between the Day Gate and the north nave. The gate is observed in operation at sunrise, when the central weight begins to drop to open it; during a decennial opening at the turn of the year, this descent coincided with the simultaneous opening of other long‑interval gates, drawing cheers from those assembled.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Primary daily portal admitting and routing visitors from extramuros into the Concent of Saunt Edhar, where they are channeled to the North Nave to observe from the nave side of the screen when such access is permitted.
• The Day Gate’s schedule is not secret; on widely known openings such as Apert, outside observers expect the gates to operate on cue.
• It belongs to a family of clock‑actuated portals that include interval gates tied to longer cycles.

Relationships

• Integrated with the Mynster’s central tower (the Praesidium) whose mechanisms time its opening.
• Related time‑gated portals include the Year Gate and the Decade Gate, which open on longer cycles and were seen to open in concert during a decennial observance.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Mechanically actuated: at sunrise the central drive weight descends to power the opening of the Day Gate.
• The orrery situated between the Day Gate and the north nave is driven by devices tended by the Ita beneath the Mynster; the same subterranean system is reported to apply subtle rate corrections to the main clock. If those systems fall into error, visible effects would include mis‑timed events such as the Day Gate opening before or after sunrise.
• The Day Gate is part of the clock’s broader set of “add‑on” loads along with bells and instrument displays, drawing power apportioned by the great mechanism.

Current Status/Location

Located at the math’s central complex and functioning as designed: it opens at sunrise under clock control as a daily matter of routine, with widely observed simultaneous operations during major openings. Visitors, when permitted, are routed inward along the controlled path to view from the north side.