In the heart of Paris, the emblematic Fountain of the Innocents has been restored to water

A few steps from Beaubourg and a stone's throw from the Canopée des Halles, tourists and onlookers will once again be able to observe the sculptures on the facades of the fountain erected in 1549, and above all the five reliefs of nymphs which have made its reputation.

Reproduced in resin to preserve the originals from the deterioration of time and pollution, they are "the masterpiece" of Jean Goujon, "one of the greatest artists of the French Renaissance", explains Emmanuelle Philippe to AFP , of the Conservation of Religious and Civil Works of Art (COARC) of the city of Paris.

“It was high time to restore its splendor because it was in very poor condition,” greets, from Place Joachim du Bellay where the 17 meter high fountain stands, the City’s heritage assistant Karen Taïeb, who has led the project since the first studies in 2018.

Pediments, entablatures and ornamental columns were renovated and for certain parts rebuilt, as were the stones of the basins and the hydraulic system of the fountain, the white limestone of which had notably suffered from corrosion.

The entire restoration cost 4,5 million euros.

First an adjoining corner fountain of the disappeared church and cemetery of the Innocents from which it takes its name, the monument has spanned Parisian history.

Inaugurated a few decades before the Saint-Barthélémy Day massacre, it was moved several times to the Les Halles district and had a facade added, and three nymphs, on the eve of the Revolution.

“In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a sign of Paris with the same impact as the Eiffel Tower today”, reproduced on plates or embroidery of the time, recalls Ms. Philippe.

Since April, an exhibition dedicated to this fountain has been held at the Carnavalet museum until August 25, 2024. Jean Goujon's original nymphs are on display there.