Fountain of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Public drinking fountain in Piazza Sant'Andrea della Valle, Rome, Italy.
The Fountain of Sant'Andrea della Valle is a public water source with stone basins located in the square in front of the church. Water flows continuously from the fountain, making fresh drinking water accessible to anyone passing through the area.
Carlo Maderno built the fountain in 1614 for Pope Paul V, to supply water to the Borgo district; it stood on piazza Scossacavalli. When via della Conciliazione was cut through the Spina di Borgo around 1935, the square and church were demolished. The fountain was dismantled between 1941 and 1945 and stored, then moved to piazza Sant'Andrea della Valle in 1958. Its marble upper basin was lost and replaced by a concrete copy.
The square is named for the basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle, begun in 1590 and given its dome and facade in the following decades; the fountain was moved here in 1958 from the demolished piazza Scossacavalli. Its lower basin is the original travertine, while the upper marble basin was lost during storage and replaced by a concrete copy.
The fountain operates throughout the year and is convenient for refilling water bottles or taking a quick drink. It sits in the middle of the square, making it easy to spot and access from any direction.
The upper marble basin of the original fountain was lost while the monument sat in city storage; the basin seen today is a concrete copy. The fountain itself was moved here only in 1958, after proposals to place it on Piazza della Pilotta, along via della Conciliazione or in Primavalle came to nothing.
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