Summer Solstice in San Miniato: perfectly in time!

We all know that, back in the Middle Ages, they did not have clocks or scientific instruments to measure time. So they would probably look up at the sky and the movements of the stars and the sun to track the time going by.

There was a certain special knowledge anyway about what we call today astronomy that was often involved into building architectures and churches: after all, mankind started to measure time very early (just think about Stonehenge, Newgrange, the pyramids…).

On some special days, like the summer solstice for example, on 21st June, you understand that some details or decorations in churches, or even the church itself was built, are not by chance.

A perfect example of this is the church of San Miniato al Monte: only for a few days around June 21st you can admire the sun hitting the Cancer on the Zodiac on the marble floor at around 13.30.

Churches sometimes were meant to be also astronomic clocks too!