The St. John Lateran Water Fountain

The St. John Lateran water fountain is located at the basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It is only a small, wall-mounted fountain, yet it seems all the smaller due to the proximity of a giant Egyptian obelisk that was moved there in 1588 by Domenico Fontana.

This little fountain has a certain amount of controversy attached to it. Most historians attribute this fountain to Fontana since he is the one who erected the obelisk nearby. Fontana does not list this fountain in his accounting of the work he did in Rome, however. There is also no record of the fountain existing in a book of engravings of Rome published in 1600. When the next volume was published, the fountain was included. The water fountain must, therefore, have been erected sometime after 1600.

Panciroli, who wrote a book known as the Hidden Treasures of the Bountiful City of Rome in 1625, talks about the fountain located at the foot of the obelisk. He mentions the fountain was built in 1607. His description of the fountain in his book fits the existing one at the basilica of St. John Lateran.

The water fountain is designed as an eagle with wings spread at the top with two large dragons that send water coursing into a double shell. The eagle also used to spout water downward into the shell. It is thought that the symbolism on the fountain is a reference to the Borghese coat-of-arms and to Paul V, who was Pope from 1605 to 1621.

It is unfortunate that the fountain has been damaged at some point. A statue of St. John the Baptist was once located above the fountain, but it has been removed. It could be the fountain was damaged during this removal process.

There is also the possibility that the fountain was planned while Clement VIII was pontiff. In two different manuscripts from 1594 and 1603, it is mentioned that Clement VIII granted the Lateran chapter several ounces of Aqua Felice. It was custom at the time for a chapter to create a public fountain in exchange for such a gift. The documents for this undertaking have not been found.

There is documentation, however, that someone purchased water from the fountain at St. John Lateran on April 3, 1604. The water fountain itself also bears symbols from the Aldobrandini family, the family of Clement VIII. When Leo XI of the Medici family succeeded Clement VIII for a total of 27 days, he found the time to make sure two fleurs-de-lis were carved on each side of the adjacent statue of St. John. The dragons from Paul V were added in 1607.

The original statue of St. John was seated and made of marble. There is no record of when it was moved or where it went. It is thought that Leo XI may have had it put in place.

The water fountain of St. John Lateran remains to this day, however, greeting visitors who arrive to see the impressive basilica it adorns. It remains a tribute to Roman decorative arts as its ornate carvings fill all the available space surrounding the shell that holds the water.