Fountain of Saint-Michel
2 Boulevard Saint Michel, Paris, France
Description:
The Fountain of Saint-Michel is located on the eponymous Parisian square on the left bank of the Seine. The fountain, 26 meters high and 15 meters wide, occupies the side of the house, thereby covering the adjacent building to the square. Initially, they wanted to put a statue of Napoleon I here, but they changed their minds and a fountain appeared with the laying of the Boulevard Saint-Michel during the Second French Empire. The architect G. Daviu worked on his project, construction work lasted from 1858 to 1860.
The base of the fountain is a triumphal arch with columns, which are decorated with statues symbolizing virtues: Power, Abstinence, Wisdom. There were fierce debates about what should become a central statue, first it was proposed to place a statue of the world on the fountain, then it was decided to put a sculpture of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the end the Fountain Saint-Michel was headed by a statue of the Archangel Michael fighting the devil. The composition of the fountain resembles the Medici Fountain in the Luxembourg Garden.