La Fuentecilla, Monumental fountain at Toledo and Arganzuela streets, Madrid, Spain
La Fuentecilla is a square-plan stone pillar at the junction of Toledo and Arganzuela streets, closer to an urban monument than a working fountain. Its main face carries a stone plaque reading "A Fernando VII, el Deseado. El Ayuntamiento del heroico pueblo de Madrid. Corregidor, el conde de Moctezuma". Below it sit a bear and a griffin, the old heraldic arms of Madrid; above, a lion stands on two terrestrial hemispheres, and the upper cube is ringed by Madrid's seven stars.
La Fuentecilla was promoted by the conde de Moctezuma, corregidor of Madrid from 1814 to 1816, to mark Fernando VII's return from exile in France. The works were entrusted to Alfonso Rodríguez y Gutiérrez, architect of the Royal House, with a lion by Manuel Álvarez, and an inscription on the monument dates its inauguration to 1815. It was reportedly built with remains of a monument to San Norberto that stood until 1810 on the facade of the Premonstratensian convent.
The fountain displays symbols connected to Madrid, such as the bear and the city's coat of arms, which have been part of local identity for centuries. Visitors can see these figures and understand how the city represents itself.
The fountain is located at the intersection of Toledo and Arganzuela streets in Madrid's historic district. Visitors can easily reach it and explore other historical sites in the surrounding area.
The monument was built with remains of an earlier monument to Saint Norbert that stood until 1810 on the facade of the Premonstratensian convent. The inscription on the western face names the corregidor, the count of Moctezuma, but the carver omitted the C in his title.
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