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Origin and history

La Fountain des Quatre-Tias, located in Fontenay-le-Comte in the Vendée department, is a Renaissance work completed in 1542 during the reign of François I. Its name comes from the four pipes ("tias" in vendean patois) through which the water flows. The monument is distinguished by an arch in basket handle supported by doric columns, surmounted by a triangular pediment bearing the Latin motto of the city: Fons Fontanacum Felicium Ingeniorum Scaturigo (" Fontenay, fountain and source of beautiful spirits"), attributed to François I. A sculpted bas-relief, representing two unicorns (former emblem of Fontenay-le-Comte) drinking at a fountain, bears the date of 1542.

The fountain has known several denominations over the centuries: Fountain of the Fine Spirits (in reference to local intellectuals), Fontaine Royale (before the Revolution), Fontaine des Frères (near a school of the Brothers of the Christian Schools), and finally Grande Fontaine to distinguish it from a nearby fountain. His traditional attribution to the master mason Liénard de la Réau, mentioned since the 19th century, is now contested for lack of stylistic or documentary evidence. However, the archives reveal regular restorations under the Old Regime, attested by commemorative inscriptions.

A major restoration was undertaken in 1898, entrusted to the architect Octave de Rochebrune, who profoundly altered the appearance of the fountain. Rochebrune leaned on an 18th century drawing, supposedly preserved at the Municipal Library of Poitiers (collection dom Fonteneau), but never found despite extensive research. This drawing, of which Benjamin Fillon allegedly provided a facsimile, would have inspired the reconstruction of the heraldic decor destroyed during the Revolution. The works, completed in 1899, used stones from the local quarries of Mérité and the Gajonnière, with the participation of sculptor Abel Blanchard. The fountain was listed as historical monuments in 1926.

In 1941, a project to dismantle and reassemble the Place Viète fountain was envisaged, but abandoned. Today, the monument remains a symbol of the Castorian heritage, marked by its turbulent history and architectural transformations. Its current location, at the corner of the streets of La Fontaine and Goupilleau, makes it a landmark in the city centre.

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