El Fontán Market, Cast iron marketplace in historic center of Oviedo, Spain.
El Fontán is a marketplace defined by its cast iron framework, creating an open-air hall typical of late 19th-century market design. Inside, vendors arrange stalls selling fresh vegetables, fish, meat, and local food products.
The market building was erected between 1882 and 1885 to the design of Javier Aguirre Iturralde, on the site of the former Colegio de San Matías run by the Jesuits. It was first named Mercado del 19 de Octubre after the square, and later took its name from the adjoining Plaza del Fontán, an old theatre yard and market site. In 1994 it was refurbished and Mercado de El Fontán S.A. took over management of the market and the Sunday flea market.
The market serves as a meeting place where locals gather daily, making it central to neighborhood social life and commerce. People recognize each other among the stalls, keeping old shopping traditions alive.
The market is attached to the Church of San Isidoro, and its main entrance opens onto the Plaza del Fontán, the old theatre yard that gave the building its name. The Sunday flea market, run by the same company that manages the market since 1994, sets up in this surrounding area.
The market's official name was originally Mercado del 19 de Octubre, taken from the plaza 19 de Octubre where it stands; it later took the name of the neighbouring Plaza del Fontán, an old theatre courtyard and site of the traditional market. The building was raised between 1882 and 1885 on land formerly occupied by the Jesuit Colegio de San Matías.
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