Well, I am going with that we don't need to know the historical significance of either the church or the memorial itself. And have to rely on the visuals.
So..
Methinks it has to do with the positioning of the roof lines forming the hands of a clock.
Excellent John, really like the character and age of the church. Well I was going to guess that was when you took this image or the time difference when you were there. As for the sun dial, doesn't look like its casting any shadows
I thought maybe it had something to do with the time services start at the church. A nice capture of the old church, John. Good colours, lighting and textures in the photo. Best of luck in the contest.
Or was that the time you woke up, rushed out, and snapped it!...
Or maybe the direction of the light