Ribeirão Fountain, Colonial fountain in Historic Center, São Luís, Brazil.
Ribeirão Fountain is a historic structure in central São Luís with a large courtyard paved in dressed stone, three barred windows, and five carved stone water spouts with bronze fittings. It contains underground galleries two meters wide and high that stored and distributed water throughout the neighborhood.
This fountain was built in 1796 under Lieutenant Colonel Fernando António Soares de Noronha to improve water supply and sanitation in São Luís. It was part of a broader effort to provide the expanding city with better infrastructure.
The fountain displays religious and secular imagery together, with a stone figure of a sea god and a bird crowning its pale blue pediment. This blend of symbols shows how spiritual and daily life mixed in this Portuguese colonial city.
The fountain sits between Rua do Ribeirão and Rua dos Afogados and is easy to reach on foot through the historic center. The site can be challenging to visit due to narrow streets and uneven ground, so wear comfortable walking shoes.
Underground tunnels beneath the fountain connected different churches in São Luís, allowing priests to move between them without walking through the streets. This hidden network reveals a practical side of colonial city life.
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