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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The source of the Crucifix is a thermal fountain located on the ground floor of the house of the Arcades, a building built in 1761-1762 in Plombières-les-Bains on the order of Duke Stanislas of Lorraine. This building, designed by architect Jean-Louis Deklier Dellile and entrepreneur Claude Mique, was designed to embellish the city and offer a place of pleasure to the granddaughters of Louis XV, Adélaïde and Victoire. The source, originally called Bain du Chêne, existed since the seventeenth century with a crucifix dated 1614, the time of the passage of Duke Henry II. It was transformed into a buvette and integrated into the arcades in 1762, protected by a wrought iron gate.

The house of the Arcades, of classical architecture, has a Vosges sandstone facade with ten arcades topped with medallions and an art ironwork balcony. The ironworks, including those of the grid of the source, are attributed to André Gillot, student of Jean Lamour, famous for his work at Nancy. Stanislas' weapons shield adorns the facade, recalling his role as sponsor. The spring, made up of three fountains, once served as a drink for mineral waters, now inaccessible directly.

Stanislas Street, where the monument is located, was modernized after the flood of 1770, which devastated the city. Louis XV then ordered the construction of a temperate bath and new houses, transforming the old Grande Rue into a modern artery. The source of the Crucifix, which was listed as a historic monument in 1926, bears witness to this period of urban beautification linked to the thermal importance of Plombières-les-Bains. The waters, once accessible via the fountains, have now been taken to the National Bath since the 1930s.

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