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Aix en Provence / Fontaine de l'Hôtel de Ville

Classified as historical monuments in 1905, the fountain in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville was partly decorated by the famous Aix sculptor Jean-Pancrace Chastel; and the polygonal basin was designed by Georges Vallon.

 

Built in 1756, it supports a Roman column which comes from the ruins of the count's palace. Classical in style, it has a hard stone basin with four recessed sides and marble slabs engraved in Latin to the glory of King Louis XV, the Duke of Villars who was governor, the President of the Welsh Parliament of the Tower... A reminder that it was the Romans who brought water to Aix. The plaque facing the Town Hall is replaced with each new regime of the municipality. The pedestal is made of Calissanne and Bibemus stones. And the four macaroons through which the water flows symbolize hygiene after the plague of 1720. Its water comes from the Pinchinats spring, via the Roman aqueduct.

 

During the Revolution, in 1789, the city was organized into districts from this fountain.

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Uploaded on January 12, 2023
Taken on February 28, 2019