{"id":4095,"date":"2021-04-22T18:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joebuzz.it\/wordpress\/?page_id=4095"},"modified":"2025-02-24T18:01:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T17:01:38","slug":"the-fountains-of-monreale","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.prolocomonreale.it\/wordpressEN\/the-fountains-of-monreale\/","title":{"rendered":"The fountains"},"content":{"rendered":"
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THE FOUNTAINS OF MONREALE<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/section>\n
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The monumental road built by the Archbishop Testa possesses many fountains: the first fountain in the first in the sharp bend is the Fishermen\u2019s Fountain<\/strong>: it was built using an elegant white marble and stone and it\u2019s considered one of the greatest achievements of the renowned sculptor Ignazio Marabitti. In the interior of the polygonal basin, there’s a rock where three cherubs play with some fishes, supported by a large shell; on another rock, a cherub holds in his hand a fishing pole. Verses are engraved on a plaque inviting passers-by to quench their thirst and enjoy the shade.<\/p>\n

About halfway after the hemicycle bend the Dragon\u2019s Fountain appears<\/strong>, the most monumental out of of all the fountains built by Ignazio Marabitti, so called in honour of the dragon who, coming out from under the cave, scares off a group of children climbing the mountain.<\/p>\n

With its pyramidal profile, the fountain reproduces a scheme being already present in Palermo during the 17th<\/sup> century: the dragon is a metaphor of the dark to be defeated; the shell in the foreground is the symbol of Palermo, a fertile \u201cgolden basin\u201d enriched by the waters from the Oreto river.<\/p>\n

Going to Monreale, we witness the Hemicycle Fountain<\/strong>, nestled in the mountain and composed by a central aedicule in which is inserted an artistic composition from which the water descend into another basin embellished by friezes. The fountain is flanked by a hemicycle bench with faded decorations.<\/p>\n

Before arriving to the main square on the right, we can see the Harpy\u2019s Fountain<\/strong> dating back to 1656, enclosed in a niche on which a plaque with three coats of arms is placed. The fountain takes its name from a harpy frontally sculpted, spreading its wings in the inferior part, used as a support of the small basin.<\/p>\n

At the center of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele is located the Triton Fountain<\/strong>. Round-shaped, it has a marble basin and at its center is placed a sculpture by Mario Rutelli dating back to 1881: it’s a man, the \u201cTriton\u201d standing on a group of rocks, defeating 2 furious sea dragons emerging from the waters.<\/p>\n

Inside the Benedictine Cloister, in a square space delimitated by arches, we can see the Cloister\u2019s Fountain<\/strong> or King\u2019s Fountain, because, according to a popular legend, king William the Second himself came here to quench his thirst. It has a Moresque style, raised off the ground and it’s consists of a wide circular basin: at its center a stylised palm stem raises, holding a spherical bud where human and leonine faces alternate between large leaves from which water gushes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>

Link to Wikiloc<\/span>
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Cattedrale Monreale<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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THE DOME<\/a><\/h3>
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The Dome of Monreale is an architectural marvel of Romanesque-Latin-Norman-Byzantine style: it is simple, majestic and severe. It shows off a great profusion of wealth, with mosaics on a gold background surrounding the internal of the Dome for more than six thousand square meters\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>

Fontana Chiostro Monreale<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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THE CLOISTER<\/a><\/h3>
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The Benedictine Cloister was part of the monastery and is one of the most important cloisters of all the Mediterranean area. It\u2019s the heart of the entire Abbey Complex and It is a wonderful example of Byzantine architecture in Sicily\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>

La Collegiata<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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THE CHURCHES<\/a><\/h3>
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At the end of the 16th century, in Monreale\u2019s neighbourhoods citizens started building many churches and chapels in order to express their religious devotion and show their charitable commitment to God, emphasizing their sense of brotherhood. Those buildings use the Baroque architectural canons\u2026<\/p>\n

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Quartiere Ciambra<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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THE NEIGHBOURHOODS<\/a><\/h3>
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In the\u00a0Historia della chiesa di Monreale, published in 1596 by the archbishop Ludovico II Torres (written using the pseudonym of Gian Luigi Lello) , we find out that Monreale was divided into four parts. The first and most ancient, the Pozzillo, took its name from the flowing water\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>

Biblioteca Torres<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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THE LIBRARIES<\/a><\/h3>
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The first core of the library \u201cSanta Maria La Nuova\u201d dates back to the arrival of the monks who received many privileges from king William: among other things, the abbot was elevated to the rank of archbishop\u00a0 and the abbey had \u201clibris et sacris vestibus argento et auro\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>

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