Fontaine de la Rotonde

The Fontaine de la Rotonde is a historic fountain in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.

Fontaine de la Rotonde in 1910.
Fontaine de la Rotonde in 2008.

Location

It is located on the Place de la Rotonde, at the bottom of the Cours Mirabeau in the centre of Aix-en-Provence.[1][2][3][4]

History

The Place de la Rotonde was built from 1840 to 1850.[1] Ten years later, in 1860, Théophile de Tournadre designed this fountain.[1][2][3][4]

It is 32 metre wide and 12 metre high.[3] It is surrounded by bronze sculptures of twelve lions, sirens, swans, and angels on the backs of dolphins.[3] At the top of the fountain are three sculptures of female figures presenting Justice (towards the Cours Mirabeau), Agriculture (towards Marseille) and the Fine Arts (towards Avignon).[1][3][4] They were sculpted by Joseph-Marius Ramus (1805-1888), Hippolyte Ferrat (1822-1882) and Louis-Félix Chabaud (1824-1902).[1][3]

The water first came from the Zola Canal built in 1854.[1] In 1875, it came from the Verdon Canal.[1] It now comes from the Canal de Provence.[1]

Fontaine de la Rotonde
  • Old postcard
  • At night
  • At night, with Christmas lights
  • At night, with Christmas lights
  • Covered in ice during winter
  • Sculpture of lions
  • Sculpture of angels and dolphins
  • Sculpture at the top
  • Sculpture at the top
  • Sculpture at the top

References
  1. City of Aix-en-Provence: Place de la Rotonde
  2. City of Aix-en-Provence: Fountains
  3. Aix en provence: Pays Aixois et Salonais, Petit Futé, 2010, p. 139
  4. Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Cheryl A. Pientka, France For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, 2007, p. 377


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