Do you have just one desire: to bask in the sunshine beside a fountain at the end of the confinement period? Follow our guide to the 13 most beautiful fountains in Paris!
Whether they're original, grandiose or simply soothing, you'll love spending some time there!
The Médicis fountain is a true architectural gem. Imposing and grandiose, it stands in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was commissioned around 1630 by Marie de Médicis from the Italian architect Thomas Francine, in memory of the Boboli Garden in Florence. Initially a simple portico, it was transformed into a fountain lined with plane trees in 1861 by the architect Alphonse de Gisors. The sculptor Auguste Ottin later carved the beautiful scene of Polyphemus surprising Galatea in the arms of Acis.
At the corner of rue Molière and rue Richelieu stands the imposing Molière fountain, built as a tribute to the famous French playwright. Louis Visconti was commissioned to create the fountain. The bronze statue of Molière was designed by Bernard-Gabriel Seurre. Two female marble allegories, entitled Comédie Légère and Comédie Sérieuse, hold scrolls engraved with Molière's works.
It's impossible to pass through Place Saint-Michel without noticing the gigantic Saint-Michel fountain. Built in 1860 by Gabriel Davioud, this 26-metre-high fountain houses bronze statues of winged, water-spitting chimeras and the cardinal virtues. The central statue is none other than Francisque Duret's Saint-Michel slaying a dragon.
We've already told you about them when we told you about thehistory of the Place de la Concorde. The two magnificent cast-iron fountains, inspired by the fountains in St. Peter's Square in Rome, were installed here by Jacques-Ignace Hittorf, at the instigation of King Louis Philippe 1st. On one side, the Fountain of the Seas, on the other, the Fountain of the Rivers. Both celebrate France's naval might at the time.
The Saint-Sulpice fountain was designed by Louis Visconti, who was also responsible for the Molière fountain. Erected between 1843 and 1848, this imposing 12-metre-high Renaissance-style fountain is topped by an aedicula. Each face houses a larger-than-life statue of bishops under Louis XIV: Bossuet, Fénelon, Massillon and Fléchier. In the basins, four lions watch over the fountain.
The Quatre-Parties-du-Monde fountain depicts Africa, America, Asia and Europe holding a globe decorated with the signs of the zodiac. Built between 1867 and 1874 by Gabriel Davioud (who also designed the Saint-Michel fountain), this bronze fountain stands in the garden of the Great Explorers: Marco-Polo and Cavelier-de-la-Salle, at the edge of the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Opposite the Jardin des Plantes stands the beautiful Cuvier fountain. It was designed by Alphonse Vigoureux, architect and water inspector for the city of Paris. Erected in 1840, it pays homage to the anatomist and founder of paleontology Georges Cuvier. An allegorical statue of Natural History was sculpted by Feuchère. Around the young woman, lions, crocodiles and various aquatic animals adorn this fountain, which was classified as a historic monument in 1984.
What an astonishing fountain the Fellah is. Located on rue de Sèvres, this beautiful fountain was erected in neo-Egyptian style in 1806, to designs by François-Jean Bralle. The Egyptian statue, by Jean-François Gechter, represents Antinous, Emperor Hadrian's favorite. It is a copy of a statue discovered in 1739 in the emperor's villa and since preserved in the Vatican.
Originally called the Fountain of the Nymphs, this fountain stood some forty meters from its present location. Commissioned by King Henri II, it was built in 1548 by Pierre Lescot. The sculptor Jean Goujon was responsible for the decoration and carvings. Over the course of its existence, it underwent numerous architectural modifications. It is now listed as a historic monument.
Built in an astonishing neo-Gothic style, the Fountain of the Virgin is not far from another Gothic monument: the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. Quite simply, you can even see the two in the same shot. Located in Square Jean XXIII, this fountain with its slender, jagged spire, built by Alphonse Vigoureux, supports a statue of the Virgin and Child, sculpted by Louis Merlieux.
Through the trees of Place du Châtelet, it's sometimes hard to make out. But there it is, the Palm Fountain! It was built in 1808 at the instigation of Napoleon 1st to commemorate his victories and provide Parisians with free water. François-Jean Bralle was in charge of the project. Topped by a gilded bronze Victory, sculpted by Louis-Simon Boizot, the fountain was moved and enlarged in 1855.
Located in the middle of the tranquil Square Louvois, the Louvois fountain is the work of Louis Visconti, the sculptor behind the Saint-Sulpice fountain, to designs by Gabriel Davioud. It was Louis-Philippe 1st who wished to erect a fountain on this site, and in 1844 it was done. The Louvois fountain pays allegorical tribute to four great French rivers: the Seine, Garonne, Loire and Saône.
Perhaps not the prettiest, but surely one of the most original fountains in Paris. The Stravinsky Fountain, also known as the Fountain of the Automatons, was created in 1983 by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle as a tribute to Igor Stravinsky. The 16 coloured resin sculptures each represent a work by the Russian composer. As do the sounds the fountain produces, which are supposed to recall Stravinsky's compositions.
Parisian fountains to discover in a few weeks!
Prices
Free
