Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pisseurs fountain, located in Place du Griffoul in Lacaune (Tarn), dates from the 16th century. It symbolizes the diuretic properties of local thermal waters through four bronze children urinating in a polygonal basin. Water, channeled from the source Font Franque, then flows through the mouths of medieval monsters before reaching a sandstone basin. This unusual monument, classified in 1913, combines public utility and humorous representation of the effects of the waters of Lacaune, known since ancient times.

The origin of the fountain dates back to 1399, when the inhabitants of Lacaune financed the ransom of James II of Bourbon, Count of the March, prisoner after the battle of Nicopolis. In thanks, Louis I of Bourbon granted them the right to take water from Teron to build a fountain in the Place du Griffoul. Although the project was authorized in 1399, the fountain was not completed until 1559, as attested by the inscription Lam Mil CCCCLIX on its base. The statuettes of the thicknesses were added on that date, while the cast iron columns date from the 19th century.

The fountain was moved in 1830 during the drilling of a road, losing its original central location. The four bronze characters, melted separately before being assembled, rest on a baluster supporting a pedestal crowned with dolphins. Their posture, combined with water jets, highlights the medicinal qualities attributed to the sources of Lacaune, exploited since the Middle Ages. The ensemble, owned by the commune, remains a unique testimony of Renaissance art and hydrological beliefs.

Ranked a historic monument on November 28, 1913, the Pisseurs fountain combines architectural heritage and local folklore. His bold iconography, rare for the time, reflects a decomplex approach to therapeutic virtues, while celebrating the generosity of the Lacaunais towards the Bourbons. Today, it is a major point of interest in the city, mixing history, art and thermal traditions.

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