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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The fountain of Place Jean-Cornet, originally called the fountain of the state-Major, has its origin in the improvement of the water supply network of Besançon. The construction of the Bregille bridge in 1689 allowed the water from the Bregille valley springs to reach the city centre via a wooden trunk pipe, then cast iron at the beginning of the 18th century. Three new fountains were then erected, including that of the future place Jean-Cornet, responding to the growing needs of the urban population for drinking water.

In 1736, the Hotel de la Vicomté, built for the prince of Isenghien, was completed near the square. Three years later, in 1739, a fountain-monument designed by Charles Joseph Foresse was inaugurated. It was adorned with a group of bronze dolphins, the work of Louis Jacques Herpin, representing children playing with these animals. These decorative elements, like those of other bisontin monuments, were melted during the Revolution to make coins. The fountain, left abandoned and degraded, was finally demolished.

In 1900, a new fountain was built at its location by Étienne Bernard Saint-Ginest, with sculptures by Albert Pache. This monument, combining fountain and wash, bears the Latin motto Utinam on its pediment. Originally equipped with a urinal, this structure was modified before being included in the inventory of historical monuments on 21 October 1937. Today, she masks almost entirely the corner of the Hotel de la Vicomté, raised in 1771 by Claude Joseph Alexandre Bertrand.

The current fountain, owned by the municipality of Besançon, bears witness to the urban evolution and the practical needs of the city, while embodying a preserved artistic and historical heritage. Its inscription among historical monuments underlines its importance in the architectural landscape of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

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