Fountain of the Virgin

Paris,Fountain of the VirginFrance
Fountain of the Virgin
1 Rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame, 75004, Paris, France
The Fountain of the Virgin (or the Archbishop's Fountain, or also the Notre-Dame Fountain) is a fountain located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It is situated in the center of a grassy area, roughly at the location of the former Rue de l'Abreuvoir. The fountain was created by Alphonse Vigoureux in 1845 to equip the Jean-XXIII square (then called the Archbishop's Square), which was created the previous year.

Description

The fountain is a triangular structure, very slender, about ten meters high. The base of the fountain consists of three sides, with beveled angles, giving it the appearance of an irregular hexagon. Each of the angles is occupied by a statue of an archangel, each resting on a small pedestal from which the fountain's water springs. The base is topped by three columns supporting a serrated spire. The center of the columns houses a Virgin and Child, sculpted by Louis Merlieux, placed on a pillar.

The base of the fountain rests in a six-sided basin: three of these sides, corresponding to the faces of the base, are straight; the other three, corresponding to the angles, are semi-circular. The basin itself rests on a hexagonal pool.