Fountain
Fonte Nova ou dos Judeus
The oldest reference to this fountain dates back to 1137, when it was known as the Jewish Fountain due to its location next to the Jewish Quarter. It is considered to be the oldest public water supply in the city.
It was one of the boundaries of the parish of Santa Cruz, and was located next to the beginning of Couraça dos Apóstolos, in what was known as ‘terreno da fonte dos judeus’ (land of the Jews’ fountain), forming one of the boundaries of the Jewish quarter.
A public fountain from the time of King João V, with two spouts and a tank with rounded corners across its entire width.
The name Fonte Nova (New Fountain) was given after it was remodelled in 1725, when it was also moved to another nearby location.
Centuries later, and after several changes of location, it was moved to its current location by Dr. Mendes Silva, whose work was completed in 1986. It is a Baroque construction with careful decoration.
The front consists of a cloth defined by two simplified Doric pilasters, supporting an entablature and two other bodies in the shape of lying fins, delimited by pedestals, on which pyramids rise.
The central space is occupied by three motifs arranged in a pyramid: at the base, two masks from which water flows, followed by a horizontal label with a large sign alluding to the work and the city’s coat of arms inside another label.
It has a long caption alluding to the work promoted by the judge of the King, Dr. Pedro Rodrigues de Almeida. The staircase on which it stands was designed by architect António Madeira Portugal and completed in 1986, the year in which the fountain was transferred from its original location behind the D. Pedro V Market.
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