The fountains

The fountains of the historic quarter are the result of an early channeling drinking water, the late eighteenth century.

The Sant Jaume Fountain

Dating from 1854. Notable for being built directly against the wall in keeping with the prevailing local architectural tastes of the time. This was also the first fountain to be built at the main entrance to the town leading to the historic centre. As in the case of most of the local fountains there is an inscription indicating the name and the year of the fountain’s foundation.

The Gracia or the Cantereria Fountain

Dating from 1794. The fountain provided water to an important sector of the local population and is located at the first resting place en route to the parish church. Built against a stone wall, the fountain also provides a good view onto some of the narrow streets that make up the historic centre. There is also an historic commemora-tive inscription etched into a large circular stone marking the year of its foundation.

The Sant Joan Street Fountain

Although the year of its construction is unknown, most of the fountains in the historic centre were built in the XVIII century. In general the fountains provided fresh water for the local inhabi-tants whilst the surplus was used for dyeing wool in the neighbourhood houses and also for watering the nearby orchards.

The Asensio Fountain

Dating from 1794. It is loca-ted at the junction of two of the oldest streets in the historic centre: Sant Joan Street, where you can find the first Christian chapel, which was previously an old Arabic mosque, and Mare de Déu d’Agost Street, which leads to the gateway and the chapel of the same name. Next to the fountain you can see a stone masonry arch although at present it is covered up.

The Empedrat Fountain

Dating from 1793. It was the first fountain to be erected as part of a town plan to rebuild the water supply from the Rambleta Ravine. The plan also saw the creation of many of the town’s fountains. It is adorned by a stone laurel wreath as a commemoration of the fact that it was one of the first fountains to be built. The work was carried out during the time that Francesc Belda Pla, the first Baron of Casanova, was Mayor of the town.

The Aljub Fountain

Although the date of its construction is unknown, the fountain stands out from the rest for being modest and discreet, as if it were a vaulted niche built to house the statue of a saint. Its waters were used to feed the Muret wash house and the nearby orchards.

The Escaleta Fountain

Dating from 1793. The Escaleta Fountain fed the nearby wash houses, such as the one located a few metres down below. It also fed water into the medieval well that the area is named after. This fountain contains stones that come from the quarry found en route to the ravine, as can be seen by the stones’ light reddish colour.

The Ferreria or the Manyàs Fountain

It was called as such due to the large amount of blacksmiths that once worked in the area. The surplus water went into a small pool used for watering the nearby orchards.

In the past there used to be a wash house close by. It was also the first fountain you would come across when entering the old town via the Darrere la Vila Bridge.

The Almaguer or the Mare de Deu de Agost Fountain

Located very close to the Almaguer Gateway. This was the original name given by the Arabs to the entrance way but it was later renamed by the Christian conquerors as the Agost Gateway. The fountain is built against the wall with a circular comme-morative inscription indicating the year of its foundation.

The Placeta de la Cova Fountain

Dating from 1794 with a circular commemorative inscription on the upper part of the fountain. One of the main characteristics of this fountain is that the surplus water was used both in the dyeing process and for watering the terraced orchards that can be found beside the Clariano River down below.

The fountain behind the church

The original site of this fountain was previously located in the municipal slaughter yard. However, due to the exquisite craftsmanship of the stonework it was decided to move it to its current location in 1996.