Place d’Espagne fountain

The fountain located in Place d’Espagne is made entirely from granite and features four spouts in the form of lion muzzles from which the water flows.

The basin is a former baptismal font which may date back as far as the 13th century. It bears traces of a sculpture featuring foliage scrolls, tori and a meticulously carved, intricate garland of flowers and fruits.

This baptismal font has an extraordinary history. It originally belonged to the monastery of Moutier-Roseille, a village situated about 10 km from Aubusson, and was given to the town of Aubusson by the canons of the village in 1770, after a restoration campaign at the monastery. But the handover did not go smoothly. Taking advantage of the work being carried out in the collegiate church, the inhabitants of Moutier-Roseille had transported the baptismal font to their local parish church to use as a font several years earlier. They refused to hand it over, so it had to be removed by force with the assistance of members of the mounted constabulary and several men armed with guns.

The fountain was constructed in the middle of the square two years later in 1772, as you can see on postcards dating back to the early 20th century. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the fountain was relocated to its current position in front of Maison Prugnier.