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Origin and history

The Ponteix Calvary Fountain, located in Aydat in Puy-de-Dôme, is a hybrid monument dating from the 2nd half of the 19th century. Built facing the church, on the edge of a road, it combines a polygonal fountain with a carved calvary. The building is distinguished by its central structure: a base pierced with taps supports a cross, while two smaller lateral bases house statues of the Virgin and Saint John. A winged dragon, wrapped around the barrel of the cross, spits water in a basin worn by a crouched character, before it falls back into the basin. Christ, crowned with thorns and clothed with a pagne, dominates the whole, surmounted by a titulus (INRI inscription). The cross, with a polygonal cross, forms an aureole behind its head.

The originality of this monument lies in its dual use: place of devotion and public water point. The artistic conception suggests the intervention of the sculptor Channeboux, originally from Volvic, although his attribution remains hypothetical. The iconographic elements — dragon, basin, statues — reflect a syncretism between Christian symbolism (the Passion) and practical function (water supply). The fountain-calvary, a communal property, was inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 26 November 1990, emphasizing its artistic, historical and social heritage value.

The choice of a water spitting dragon could evoke local legends or a symbol of struggle between good (Christ) and evil (the reptile). The basin supported by a crouched character recalls baptismal fonts or liturgical sinks, strengthening the link between purifying water and Christian faith. The location of the monument, facing the church and along the road, makes it a visual and spiritual landmark for travellers and faithful. Its state of conservation and its location (noted 6/10 precisely) testify to a rural heritage still anchored in the landscape of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

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