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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Senez Fountain is a limestone building composed of a circular basin and a tripartite column. The basin, consisting of twelve plates of cut stone, is connected to the column by four metal margins arranged at the cardinal points. The column, surmounted by a sculpted capital with four distinct male heads, symbolizes geographical orientations. Each head, with its stylized features (barbs, moustaches, almond eyes), recalls the style of the "petets", rustic sculptures typical of the region, such as those of the fountain of Moriez or the chapel of the Petets in the Champsaur. Between the heads, blazons indicate the secondary directions, except one of them, enigmatic, representing a form close to a reverse phrygian hat, marked with a "Z". This detail, along with the style of the lettrins, suggests a post-construction addition.

The fountain is fed by four cannons coming out of the mouths of carved heads. The sommital cap, pierced by a hole, once had to bear a decoration (metal or stone ball). In recent restorations, a cement wash, coupled with the basin in the early twentieth century, was removed. Although its general condition is poor, with traces of degradation and restorations (such as the beard of the character is), the fountain remains a striking architectural testimony. His style and design evoke a probable dating in the second quarter of the seventeenth century, in connection with the urbanization of Senez, notably after the construction of the seminary in 1644 by Bishop Louis Duchaine. The latter marks the beginning of a structured hydraulic network in the village.

The fountain was listed as historical monuments by order of 9 January 1930. There were records of repairs to his pipes in 1742, confirming his existence before that date, but without specifying his exact origin. In 1893, a project to build a new fountain (the church square) was preferred to its repair. The place where it stands today bears its name, stressing its local historic importance. The last restorations in the late 1990s included the fountain in a broader renovation of the square and surrounding buildings.

The building illustrates the drinking water needs of provencal villages in the modern era, where fountains served as gathering points and supplies. Its iconography, combining directional symbols and human figures, reflects a regional artistic tradition, while its current state bears witness to the challenges of preserving stone monuments in a Mediterranean climate.

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