The Fontana or Fontanone di Ponte Sisto, once known as the Fontanone dei Cento Preti, is an early 17th-century, monumental fountain now located in Piazza Trilussa, facing the south end of the
Ponte Sisto
Ponte Sisto is a bridge in Rome's historic centre, spanning the river Tiber. It connects Via dei Pettinari in the Rioni of Rome, Rione of Regola (rione of Rome), Regola to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere.
History
The construction of the current bri ...
, in
Trastevere
Trastevere () is the 13th of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ().
Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lion on a red background, the meaning of which i ...
, Rome, Italy. It was reconstructed here in the late 19th century, originally erected across the river, attached to the former building of the Collegio Ecclesiastico.
History
In 1587, a hospice for the indigent was established at the north end of the Ponte Sisto by Pope
Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V (; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where h ...
. The building, erected by
Domenico Fontana
Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian"Domenico Fontana." ''
Clement XI
Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.
Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...
, the male beggars were moved to the hospice at San Michele a Ripa, and a section of the building, entered through the present Via delle Zoccolette, became the hospice or conservatory for the ''Zitelle Mendicanti'' (maidens or girls who were beggars). This hospice, called the ''Zoccolette'' was established under Pope
Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700.
He took a hard stance against nepotism ...
, and functioned into the 19th century, when it was renamed the ''Conservatorio di Santi Clemente e Crescentino'' under the administration by the Padri delle Scuole Pie (
Piarists
The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...
). The name Zoccolette was likely derived from the clog, ''zoccolo'', given to the girls to shoe their feet. The portion of the building accessed from the Via dei Pettinari (where it intersected with
Via Giulia
The Via Giulia is a street of historical and architectural importance in Rome, Italy, which runs along the left (east) bank of the Tiber from ''Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti'', near Ponte Sisto, to ''Piazza dell'Oro''. It is about 1 kilometre lon ...
) became a hospice for indigent retired priests (''Ospicio dei Centi Preti''), and later became a seminary, the ''Collegio Ecclesiastico''. In the mid-19th century, part of this unit functioned as a military hospital.
Design
It was to this latter ''seminary'' building, located in rione Regula, that the administration of Pope
Paul V
Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...
(Borghese) decided to build this fountain, in which to funnel water from the
Acqua Paola
The Aqua Traiana (later rebuilt and named the Acqua Paola) was a 1st-century Roman aqueduct built by Emperor Trajan and inaugurated in 109 AD. It channelled water from sources around Lake Bracciano, 40 km (25 mi) north-west of Rome, to anc ...
on the
Janiculum
The Janiculum (; ), occasionally known as the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among the pro ...
, across the river through pipes carried by the Ponte Sisto. The fountain built of stone and travertine marble discharged water from various sites: the top basin (still present but no longer participating in hydraulics) was filled by jets above, and then overflowed to the larger basin below. Additionally, water spouted from both the mouths of two lion faces and from dragons (symbols of the
Borghese family
The House of Borghese ( , ) is a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the '' commune''. During the 16th century, t ...
) carved in to the pedestal of the column bases. The engineering was carried out by
Giovanni Vasanzio
Giovanni Vasanzio or Jan van Santen (1550 – 21 August 1621) was a Dutch-born architect, garden designer and engraver who spent his mature career in Rome, where he arrived in the 1580s.
Vasanzio was born in Utrecht. He worked as assistant t ...
and
Flaminio Ponzio
Flaminio Ponzio (1560–1613) was an Italian architect during the late-Renaissance or so-called Mannerist period, serving in Rome as the architect for Pope Paul V.
Ponzio was born in Viggiù near Varese, and he died in Rome. After juvenile trai ...
, and the fountain, attached to the façade of the building, was designed by Giovanni Fontana. Previously, the area in front of the fountain was called Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti. The cost of making the fountain was almost 4000 scudi, estimated in 2006 to be the equivalent of 4 million euros.
The fountain at the north bank was disassembled in the late 19th century. During the occupation of Rome by Napoleonic forces in the early 19th century, the papal symbol atop the fountain was removed. By the 1870s, the northern banks flanking the Tiber, a strip of land prone to flooding, were cleared in order to build the
Lungotevere
Lungotevere (Italian for ''Tiber Waterfront'') is an alley or boulevard running along the river Tiber within the city of Rome.
The building of the Lungoteveres required the demolition of the former edifices along the river banks and the constru ...
, leading to the dismantlement of the fountain in 1879, many of the stones were used for landfill. Over the next decades, this was viewed as an act of cultural hubris, and disrespect for this monument. The council of Rome decided to re-erect the fountain in its new location in 1898, even though the architect Angelo Vescovali could only find about half the original stones of the monument.Rendina article. The fountain, now facing the bridge from the opposite bank, is a busy park.