Fontana Grande or ''Large Fountain'' is a medieval fountain located in a piazza of the same name, and the intersection of via Garibaldi and via Cavour, in the historic center of

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

, region of

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The fountain was commissioned in 1212 by the commune. The design and construction is attributed to the stonemasons, Pietro and Bertoldo di Giovanni, whose names appear in an epigraph placed on the lower basin of the fountain. The fountain replaced a fountain known as ''Fontem Sepalis'' (referring to flowerlike shape and documented in the Liber Censum of 1192). The

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

layout of the lower basin, as well as the central pillar on which two cups are stacked and topped by a finial, are due to refurbishments over the centuries including in 1279 and 1424. The four lion heads, symbols of Viterbo, were added in 1424. The pyramidal finial structures date to 1827 and were executed by architect Domenico Lucchi. The fountain was originally fed by a

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...

that entered the city near the church of

San Sisto Saint Sixtus (or San Sisto in Italian) may refer to the following: People *Pope Sixtus I (d. 128) *Pope Sixtus II (d. 258), martyr *Pope Sixtus III (d. 440) *Sixtus of Reims (d.c. 300), first bishop of Reims Places Italy *San Sisto, Piacenza, chu ...

; construction of this aqueduct was attributed to the 1st century consul Mummio Nigro Valerio Vigeto to bring water to his Villa Calvisiana.I principali monumenti di Viterbo guida pel visitatore
by Cesare Pinzi (1911), page 95-96.

References

Grande {{Italy-struct-stub