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Origin and history

The fountain of the Croix-du-Trahoir, located at the crossroads of the streets of Arbre-Sec and Saint-Honoré in Paris, was built in 1776 by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot. This technical building served as a water divider for the services of the Palais-Royal and ministerial hotels, powered by the Samaritan pump on the Pont-Neuf. It housed the fontaineries until the middle of the 20th century, and was restored in 1965 to house the House of Andorra, inaugurated by General de Gaulle.

The site, once a lively crossroads, was a place of capital executions until 1698, especially for counterfeiters and Lutherans. An ancient cross favoured the last prayers of the condemned, while a torture wheel and a gallows served as a warning. The name Trahoir (formerly drawer) comes from the activity of drawing fabrics in this place.

The first fountain, erected in 1529 by Jean Goujon under François I, was rebuilt in 1606 and moved in 1636. Soufflot, in 1775, incorporated a nymph carved by Louis-Simon Boizot, inspired by the works of Goujon for the fountain of the Innocents. The building, squatted by artists between 1995 and 2002, now houses the Laboratoire de la création, a cultural space agreed by the city of Paris.

The crossroads was also the scene of historical events, such as the arrest of Pierre Broussel in 1648, marking the beginning of the Fronde, or the execution of the assassins of the Baron of Saint-Eglan in 1650. A station of bearer chairs was established there in 1639, reflecting its importance in Parisian traffic.

Ranked a historic monument in 1925, the fountain combines technical utility and artistic heritage. Its polygonal architecture, stalactite bosses and mascaron make it a remarkable example of the 18th century Parisian fountains, while at the same time testifying to the urban and social evolution of this central district.

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