Bebo Fountain, listed post-Byzantine fountain in Greece
The Bebo Fountain is a historic fountain in Heraklion, standing on Kornarou Square and dating to the mid-1500s. It features a spout decorated with plant carvings and originally had a Roman sarcophagus as its basin, showing Renaissance and Gothic style elements with Venetian coat-of-arms emblems.
The fountain was built around 1552 by Giovanni Matteo Bembo to bring spring water into the city through an aqueduct system. It served as the first water supply for Heraklion and remained functional even during sieges and under both Venetian and Ottoman rule.
The fountain is named after Giovanni Matteo Bembo, a Venetian general who brought water to the city for the first time. His name remains attached to this place, reflecting how important he was for the community's daily life.
The fountain sits on Kornarou Square in the old city center and is easily reached on foot. Water no longer flows from it, but the square offers places to sit, and nearby there is a former Turkish sebil that now functions as a cafe.
A large headless Roman statue stands atop the fountain, brought here from the nearby town of Ierapetra centuries ago. This mysterious figure gives the fountain a puzzling character and reminds visitors of the different peoples and eras that shaped the city.
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