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Origin and history

The Saint-Michel fountain, originally called the Sevastopol fountain, was erected between 1858 and 1860 as part of the Haussmannian transformations of Paris under Napoleon III. Commanded to mask a disgraciated angle between Boulevard Saint-Michel and Place Saint-André-des-Arts, it also had to offer a visual perspective from the Pont Saint-Michel. The initial project of a colossal statue of Napoleon I was abandoned for the benefit of an allegorical program: the archangel Michael terrorizing the Devil, surrounded by chimeras and cardinal virtues. Its location against a north gable wall, little illuminated, was criticized since its inauguration.

Designed by architect Gabriel Davioud, the fountain is inspired by Italian models such as the fountain dell'Acqua Felice in Rome, with a triumphal arch structure of 26 meters high. Eight sculptors collaborated on decorative elements, including Francisque Duret for the central statue and Henri-Alfred Jacquemart for chimeras spitting water. Polychromy (red, green, blue) was used to compensate for the lack of light. Inaugurated on August 15, 1860, it became a symbol of the liberation struggles in 1944, as evidenced by the commemorative plaques added to its chimeras.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the fountain embodies the eclecticism of the Second Empire, combining ancient references, neo-Renaissance and religious symbolism. His style, considered execrable by some contemporaries for his accumulation of disparate statues, marks the end of the Parisian fountain-walls. Today, it remains a major urban landmark, linked to the history of the Latin Quarter and the struggles for the liberation of Paris.

The fountain is part of a monumental axis linking the Place du Châtelet (right bank) to the island of the City via the boulevard du Palais. Originally, it was located on the Boulevard de Sébastopol (now Boulevard Saint-Michel), hence its first name. The inscriptions recall its political context: a municipal achievement under Napoleon III, celebrating both imperial power and Parisian religious heritage, with the reference to the chapel Saint-Michel disappeared in 1784.

The materials, chosen for their strength and aesthetics, include Languedoc marble, Soignies stone (Belgium), and yellow limestone. The allegorical sculptures — Prudence, Justice, Force, Temperance — frame the arms of Paris, highlighting the civic dimension of the monument. Despite initial criticism, the fountain illustrates the Haussmannian ambition to combine utility (distribution of water) and artistic grandeur in public space.

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