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Origin and history

The fountain of Peace, also known as the fountain of Peace and Arts, was commissioned in 1807 by Napoleon I in a neo-classical style. Originally planned for the Place du Châtelet to commemorate the peace treaty of Amiens, it was finally installed near the Place Saint-Sulpice. Its four faces, carved by Jean-Joseph Espercieux, represent Agriculture, Commerce, Sciences and Arts, as well as Peace. Two shell-shaped basins collect water before it flows into the central basin.

This fountain was among the fifteen planned after the completion of the Ourcq Canal. Designed by the architect Athanase Détournelle, it was moved several times: in 1824 to the Saint-Germain market to give way to the Saint-Sulpice fountain, then in 1935 in its current location, the corridor of the Seminary, after the destruction of the buildings of the Community of Girls of Christian Instruction. It was restored between 2019 and 2020.

Ranked a historic monument since 6 February 1926, the fountain illustrates the importance of Parisian hydraulics in the 19th century. Its allegorical iconography reflects the values of prosperity and peace promoted under the First Empire. Its square basin and triangular frontons make it a typical example of neo-classicism, close to the fountain of Mars, contemporary.

The work is part of a changing urban context, marked by the creation of new public spaces and the desire to modernise water distribution in Paris. Its move in 1935 coincides with the layout of the Seminary's driveway, a terraced garden linking Bonaparte Street to Vaugirard Street. Today, it remains a testimony of the Parisian hydraulic and artistic heritage.

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