Fontaine de Noyon, Historic fountain in Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Noyon, France

The fontaine de Noyon stands on the place du Marché in Noyon as an octagonal stone basin fed by a central column, with fleur-de-lis carving on the shaft and a smaller basin crowning the top. The monument was carved in the late 1760s and early 1770s and is listed as a monument historique classé.

The monument was commissioned under Bishop Charles de Broglie and created between 1769 and 1771 by a Parisian sculptor working with local craftsmen. This period marked an important moment in the development of Noyon's public spaces.

The basin is fed by four seated stone figures of virtues carved for Bishop Charles de Broglie's 1769–1771 project; local tradition long called it the fontaine des Vertus. Look for the fleur-de-lis band on the central column, a royal emblem kept after the Revolution rewrote the inscriptions.

The fountain sits directly on Noyon's central square and remains accessible throughout the year, making it a good orientation point. The location is easy to reach on foot and sits among other historical buildings.

The octagonal basin rests on a base carved with four seated female figures, the cardinal virtues, which visitors often mistake for simple ornament. Look for the fleur-de-lis band on the central column, a royal emblem kept after 1789 while the inscriptions were reworded to cite the Constitution and the rights of man.