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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Triton Fountain, also known as the Phocean Fountain, is an emblematic work of Nice, located in the Albert-Ier Garden, near Avenue des Phoceans. It consists of four white marble tritons supporting a basin, from which a water net flows to a circular basin. His author remains unknown, but the sculptures were brought back from Greece by a member of the Lascaris family, before being offered by Commander Arson to Councillor Brémond to adorn a fountain.

Originally installed at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Square in the early 19th century, the fountain was demolished in 1852 for reasons of circulation. The tritons, saved and stored, reappeared in 1866 in the square of the Phocaeans, where a marble basin of Carrara and a protective grid were added. In 1890 the Paillon was vaulted, changing the environment of the fountain, which lost its vegetal frame after the felling of the trees in 1893. During World War II, it was dismantled and protected in the Villa Paradisio, before regaining its place after the Liberation.

Ranked a historic monument in 1920, the Triton Fountain now embodies a Nice heritage marked by successive urban transformations. Its history reflects the evolution of the city, between preservation and adaptation to modern needs, while maintaining its artistic and symbolic character linked to water and marine mythology.

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