The meridian obelisk, located in Manchecourt, France, is an historic monument dating back to the 18th century. Traced by Cassini in the 1740s, it is one of three surviving obelisks on the Paris meridian project. The obelisk, made of stone, stands 7 meters high and is adorned with a small sphere and a stake. Its four faces are oriented to the cardinal points. An inscription on the south face reads 'Méridienne de l'observatoire de Paris établie par Cassini en 1748'.
The meridian was erected in 1748 to improve the precision of the Paris meridian measurement. During the French Revolution, the obelisk was perceived as ideologically linked to the Ancien Régime. The obelisk’s fleur-de-lis was replaced with a stake during the French Revolution. The obelisk was destroyed in 1794 and was rebuilt by the residents of Manchecourt in 1795. It was classified as a historic monument in 1916. Today, it can be found on the D2152 highway, north of Manchecourt.
It is one of the three surviving obelisks from Cassini’s project, along with the North meridian in Paris and the Orveau-Bellesauve meridian.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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