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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Fountain de la Préfecture de Montpellier is part of a set of three monumental fountains commissioned in 1770 by the Conseil de Ville. Destined to adorn the Place de l'Intendance (presentplace Chabaneau), it was entrusted to the sculptor Jean Louis Journet, originally from the Vigan, in 1773. The work, installed in 1776, bears the date of 1775 engraved on its structure, reflecting its completion or consecration.

Jean Louis Journet, a local artist, made this fountain in a characteristic 18th century style, marked by sober and elegant classicism. The order was part of a desire for urban beautification, typical of French cities under the Ancien Régime, where fountains were used as much for water supply as for demonstration of municipal power.

Classified as a Historical Monument by decree of 9 July 1926, the fountain is now owned by the commune of Montpellier. Its location, on the present Chabaneau Square, makes it a central element of the city's architectural heritage, testifying to the urban and artistic history of the Occitanie region under the Old Regime.

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