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Origin and history

The inlaid stone of the fountain of na Pincarda is located in the street of the same name in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It is integrated into a wall composed of bricks and pebbles, above a public fountain. Graved of the date 1431 and the inscription "do del hostal de Sant Johan", it bears in its center a cross of Malta, symbol of the hospitals of Saint John of Jerusalem. The latter, already present in Perpignan in the 12th century, had founded a hospital there, suggesting that this place was one of their possessions or foundations.

The inscription mentioning "hostal de Sant Johan" confirms the link with the hospital order, known for its charitable works and medical establishments in the Middle Ages. The stone, by its iconography and text, bears witness to the influence of this order in the region. It was officially recognized as a historical monument on September 21, 1965, by ministerial decree, and is listed as PA00104088 in the Merimée base of the Ministry of Culture.

The precise location of the stone is indicated at 8 Rue Fontaine-Na-Pincarda, 66000 Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department (code Insee 66136). This monument, though modest in size, offers a concrete overview of Perpignan's religious and hospital history in the 15th century. Its state of conservation and accessibility make it a tangible testimony to the medieval Occitan heritage, linked to a major military and religious order in Europe.

The cross of Malta, the central element of the stone, recalls the role of hospitals, both protectors of pilgrims and hospital managers. In Perpignan, their presence has been attested since the 12th century, and this stone could mark the location of one of their establishments or a source associated with their activities. The inscription in medieval occitan (" font del hostal") also highlights the local use of the language at that time, in a context where Catalan and Occitan coexisted with ecclesiastical Latin.

Today, the inlaid stone remains visible in its original urban context, offering passersby and historians a direct link to the hospital and religious past of the city. Its classification among historical monuments guarantees its preservation, while allowing its study as a primary source to understand the care and reception networks in the lower Middle Ages in Roussillon.

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