Chafariz de São Pedro de Alcântara, Fountain in Misericórdia, Lisbon, Portugal
The Chafariz de São Pedro de Alcântara is a marble fountain set in the public garden of São Pedro de Alcântara, in the Misericórdia district of Lisbon. It features a stone basin on a stepped platform and sits within a green space that opens onto a broad view of the city below.
The fountain was originally planned as part of the Águas Livres project, an early 18th-century effort to improve Lisbon's water supply, designed by Carlos Mardel. The 1755 earthquake interrupted the work, and the marble fountain seen today was later created by the sculptor Faustino José Rodrigues.
The fountain stands at the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint and is today a gathering spot where locals and visitors stop to look out over the rooftops of Lisbon. The benches around the basin are often occupied by people who simply sit and watch the city below.
The fountain is easy to find on the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, which can be reached on foot from several streets in the city center. It is not always running, but the spot itself is open at all hours and free to visit.
Although the fountain rarely runs today, it was once intended to be a central point in one of Lisbon's most ambitious water supply projects, drawing water from distant sources into the heart of the city. The unfinished history behind the basin is barely visible, but it makes the spot more layered than it appears.
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