Yesterday evening Vic and I took a stroll in the Juan Carlos I park. On the way back home, I was admiring the many fountains we passed. They reminded me once again of the many beautiful fountains that are scattered across most Spanish cities. Clearly, people have always found cascading water pleasant to look at. Already in ancient Mesopotamia people were decorating fountain basins with carved reliefs nearly 4000 years ago. However, I wondered why they were so prevalent particularly in Spain. After posing this question to Vic, his guess was that it probably had something to do with the Arab conquest of most of the Iberian peninsula, since the Islamic world was very famous for building extensive water distribution systems.
When the Arabscame to Spain, they brought with them the idea of the Islamic garden. These were traditionally enclosed by walls and were designed to represent paradise. In their centre, water would sprout from a fountain representing the source of the rivers of paradise.
So what are some of the most notable fountains in Madrid? One of the most beautiful is the fountain of Cibeles designed between 1777 and 1782. It is named after the Roman goddess of fertility, Cybele. It depicts the goddess sitting on a chariot pulled by two lions. Today, the fountain is the site of all celebrations of important Real Madrid victories.
Close to Cibeles is the fountain of Neptune in Plaza de Canovas del Castillo. It depicts the sea-god Neptune in a conch-shell chariot pulled by sea-horses and surrounded by dolphins and seals. Both Cibeles and Neptune were originally built as part of the Salón del Prado project, commissioned by Charles III to provide a spacious avenues with gardens in the Paseo del Prado. Later, a third statue of Apollo was added between Neptune and Cibeles. Together, the three fountains were supposed to represent the elements of the earth, sea and fire. Both Cibeles and Neptune, however, were later removed from the Paseo del Prado to their current locations, leaving only Apollo in his original location.
There are also many wonderful fountains to see in the Prado. The Four Fountains of the Prado or the Fuentecillas (little fountains) each show Triton holding a dolphin.
Eva in Madrid 