The fontaine Saint Michel of Paris !!!

Posted in France, Paris

Looking at my vault, found some older pictures which need to be in my blog. This allows me to show additional looks of wonderful sights in my eternal Paris. Nostalgia sets in and here I go on the fontaine Saint Michel of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The fontaine Saint-Michel fountain, formerly known as the Sébastopol Fountain, was designed by Gabriel Davioud and inaugurated on August 15, 1860 in the Place Saint-Michel in the 6éme arrondissement of Paris. It occupies the gable wall at the intersection of Boulevard Saint-Michel on one side and Place Saint-André-des-Arts and Rue Danton on the other. It stands at the end of the Pont Saint-Michel, on an axis that extends onto the Île de la Cité via Boulevard du Palais and then Pont au Change, continuing on the Right Bank with Place du Châtelet and Boulevard de Sébastopol.

When the fountain was built, Boulevard de Sébastopol extended southward, encompassing the entire length of the boulevard, including what is now Boulevard Saint-Michel, then called “Boulevard de Sébastopol (left bank),” as far as the Observatoire intersection (where it meets Avenue de l’Observatoire). The fountain was therefore located on Boulevard de Sébastopol and was also known as the “Sébastopol Fountain.”  This site is served by the Saint-Michel line 4 metro station and by the RER C line at the Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame station.

The Fontaine Saint-Michel includes a bronze group, inspired by Raphael’s painting in the Louvre, representing Saint Michael slaying the demon, Both dragons were sculpted by Henri-Alfred Jacquemart, Four statues top the pink columns of the fountain ; these are : Prudence, holding a mirror and a serpent, by Jean-Auguste Barre, Justice, holding a sword, by Elias Robert, Temperance, by Charles Gumery , and La Force, dressed in the skin of the Nemean lion and armed with the club of Hercules, by Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay.

paris fontaine St Michel jul09

The Fontaine Saint-Michel is part of the aeration plan of the city planned by Haussmann under Napoleon III. The piercing of Boulevard Saint-Michel in the axis of the Sainte-Chapelle forced the creation of a square at the outlet of the Pont Saint-Michel, Haussmann ordered the establishment of this fountain in order to fill the angle between the Boulevard Saint-Michel and the place Saint-André-des-Arts and give a visual outlet to the perspective of the Boulevard du Palais. It is 26 meters high and 15 meters wide. The Fontaine Saint-Michel differs from other Parisian fountains by the use of polychromy: Red marble of Languedoc (columns), green marble, blue stone of Soignies, yellow limestone of Saint-Yllie.

paris fontain st michel feb14

A bit of latest information, the city of Paris has removed the two chimeras. The Archangel Saint Michael will be raised into the sky before being taken to the City’s workshops. In addition to the statuary, the project will involve the restoration of the monument as well as the modernization of the electrical and hydraulic systems. The work is expected to last until January 2026. In the meantime, the fountain will be covered with an advertising banner.

The Paris tourist office on the fontaine de Saint Michel: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/fontaine-saint-michel-p1887 

There you go folks, a dandy wonderful spot in my eternal Paris, a must to stop by while you in Paris. I have enjoyed over the years my walks and road warrior rides around it and on it, and each time is like the first time ! Again, hope you enjoy this post on the fontaine Saint Michel of Paris !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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