Fontaine des Neuf Jets, Fountain and classified historical monument in Céret, France

The fontaine des Neuf Jets stands on the Place des Neuf Jets in Céret, built of local marble from Mas Carol. Water leaves through nine openings and falls into a wide octagonal basin of matching marble, set on a pedestal carved with scrolls and geometric mouldings. A sculpted lion tops the structure, and the stone carries the inscription "Venite Ceretens, leo factus est gallus".

The fontaine des Neuf Jets was built in 1313 and served for centuries as a public water source for the people of Céret. After the 1660 Treaty of the Pyrenees brought the region under French rule, Louis XIV had the lion on top reoriented to face France, and an inscription was carved into the stone to mark the change.

The fountain's name comes from the nine openings through which water flows, and locals call it Font dels Nou Raigs in Catalan. After the 1660 Treaty of the Pyrenees, an inscription was carved reading "Venite Ceretens, leo factus est gallus" ("Come, people of Céret, the lion has become a rooster"), a Latin pun on the reoriented lion.

The fountain is easy to reach on foot as it sits right in the center of Céret's main square, with no barriers around it. Walking around the full perimeter lets you read the inscriptions and see the lion from every angle.

When the lion was beheaded during a local festival in 2011 and repairs were carried out, workers discovered the remains of an even older fountain buried beneath the current structure. Those fragments were recovered and reassembled into a second fountain, which now stands behind the church of Céret.