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Origin and history

The Diane Fountain, formerly known as the Huntelia Fountain, is a medieval building located in the southern ramparts of Lectoure (Gers, Occitanie). Its original name, sometimes francized in Fontelia, remains subject to debate: some Renaissance scholars have associated it with the goddess Diane (a hypothesis hont Délios), while others, such as Henri Polge, see it as a reference to the prophet Elijah, linked to the traditions of the Carmelites settled nearby. A third theory suggests that Hontaliu simply refers to a place rich in sources. The fountain, fed by three underground sources known since antiquity, played a central role in the water supply of tanners' workshops, royal tannery, and domestic homes until the arrival of running water.

The current architecture dates mainly from the 13th century, with additions to the 15th century. The monument consists of a basin covered with cradle vaults (bracketed at the front, full hanger at the back), decorated with murals today very degraded. Water flows through three sources, the main of which is via an inverted V-shaped corridor. The façade, protected by a ironwork grid with points in fleur de lys (15th century), opens with two ogival arches resting on a cylindrical column. Originally surrounded by high walls, the fountain was hidden from outside eyes before changes in the 20th century partially opened. A tower, now reduced to a small house, once housed the guard (funtenier).

The fountain inspired writers such as André Gide, who visited her in 1907 with François-Paul Alibert and Eugène Rouart. Gide evoked in a letter his "beginning charming", comparing his sinuous access to the fountain of Syracuse. Alibert, influenced by the remains of medieval frescoes, imagined a mythical "Saint Fontélie", the central theme of his poem At the source Fontélie. These literary references, coupled with the discovery of nearby ancient statues, helped popularize the name "Diane" in the 19th century, although its origin remains uncertain.

Ranked a historic monument in 1925, the Diane fountain illustrates medieval ingenuity in hydraulics and defense. It was integrated into the ramparts despite its external position — a rarity — and was protected from assaults while supplying the city. Its water, after serving the inhabitants, flowed to a waterworks and royal tannery via a system of pipes still visible. The remains of its tower and its painted vaults, though fragmentary, testify to its past importance, between public utility, religious symbolic and architectural heritage.

Historical sources also mention possible ancient arrangements, as a temple dedicated to Jupiter above the fountain, although there is no archaeological evidence to confirm it. In the 18th century, its water was diverted to the royal tannery, marking an evolution of its use. The cannons that were discovered in the 15th century and the defensive grid reflect the military concerns of the time, while the missing frescoes evoke a sacred or decorative dimension today lost.

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