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Origin and history

The Charonne Fountain, also known as the Trogneux Fountain, is an architectural achievement from the early eighteenth century, located at the corner of the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and the rue de Charonne, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of a construction plan launched by Louis XV to provide the Saint-Antoine district with five fountains, only two of which remain today: the Trogneux fountain and the Petite-Halle. Its construction, entrusted to Jean Beausire, master general of the buildings of Paris, spread between 1719 and 1721, before a restoration under the First Empire.

The fountain owes its name to a local brewer, figure of the suburbs. Initially fed by the Notre-Dame pump, then by the Chaillot pump, it is distinguished by its Louis XV style, marked by pilasters, mouldings, and a triangular pediment. Two bronze lion mascarons, near the ground, distributed water, which then flowed into a gate. The fountain, classified as a historic monument in 1995, still bears the marks of the 1724 boundary, tracing the boundaries of Paris at that time.

Between 1806 and 1810, the fountain was raised and restored again in 1963. Its impressive architecture, about a dozen metres high, makes it a remarkable part of the Parisian heritage. Dolphins, volutes and ground frames are a characteristic example of the 18th century adorned fountains, designed for their usefulness and aesthetics.

The letters patent of 1719, at the origin of its construction, reflect a royal desire to improve the water supply of the Paris suburbs, then expanding. The Trogneux fountain, by its history and style, thus illustrates the urban and architectural evolution of Paris under the Ancien Régime and beyond.

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