Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint Quentin Fountain, located at Victor Hugo Square in Besançon, has its origins in an ancient Roman watermark dated about 70 AD. This network, linking the Castan Square basin to the Saint Quentin Tower via a reservoir near St John's Cathedral, was abandoned after the cut of the Roman aqueduct several centuries later. This first water system disappeared, leaving room for a more recent history.

In the 16th century, the fountain was established in 1579 at 128/130 on the Grande Rue, near the hotel of the Count of the Saint Quentin Tower. It was then decorated with a red marble nymph of Sampans, carved by Claude Lullier. The water sprang from the breasts of the statue, which earned it the nickname of fountain of the Rousse or of the Red Woman among the Bisontins. The statue, a victim of outrage from libertines, disappeared when the fountain was moved in 1698 (or 1756), and its trace was lost.

The current fountain, designed by Philippe Boisson, was erected at its current location and adorned in 1997 by a contemporary work by Jens Boettcher entitled La Source. This sculpture represents a bust of pregnant woman without face or arms, marking a stylistic break with original ornamentation. The fountain was listed as a historic monument on 21 October 1937, recognizing its heritage importance.

Today, the Saint Quentin fountain remains a testimony to the artistic and urban evolutions of Besançon, mixing medieval heritage, 17th century classicism and contemporary art. Its history also reflects the transformations of mentality, from the outrages suffered by the nymph to the modern abstraction of The Source.

External links