Two stone masks spouting water from a fountain in Aix
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THE SOUL OF AIX · HISTORY

AIX, THE CITY of a thousand fountains

Hot water rising from the depths, a copper star on a Roman column, a fountain that steams in winter: what water tells us about Aix.

7 MIN READ·BY EMIRISE

Aix did not settle near the water: it was born of it. The city counts more than a hundred fountains. Here are the ones with a story to tell.

The basin of the old baths, old photograph
01AQUAE SEXTIAE

The waters of Sextius

In 123 BC, the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus set up camp where water flowed hot from the ground. He gave it his name: Aquae Sextiae, the waters of Sextius. It became Aix.

This hot water is rain: it seeps in at altitude, sinks more than a thousand metres down where it warms up, then rises under pressure all the way to the city.

33 °CThe spring. Drawn from 80 metres beneath the Thermes Sextius.
1704The baths rediscovered. The Roman baths are rediscovered while an old house is being demolished.
1913Spa town. Aix officially receives the title.
The Rotonde fountain, its statues and its lions
02LA ROTONDE

The gateway to the city

Twelve metres high with three statues: the Rotonde welcomes everyone who arrives in Aix.

1850The square. The great round square is laid out at the entrance to the Cours.
1860The fountain. Justice faces the Cours, Agriculture faces Marseille, and the Fine Arts face Avignon.
1875Water from the Verdon. The Verdon canal at last supplies it continuously.
The Fontaine des Augustins, its column and its star, in the early 20th century
03THE FONTAINE DES AUGUSTINS

A star on a Roman column

At the bottom of rue Espariat, a Roman column saved from the palace of the Counts of Provence, crowned with a twelve-pointed copper star.

1620The first fountain. It is installed at the bottom of rue Espariat.
1820The column. The architect Beisson rebuilds it around a column from the counts' palace.
SteamThe Alpine railway. Its overflow filled the locomotives' water tank.
04SHORT STORIES

What the others have to tell

The Fontaine des Deux-Canons, rue Boulegon1532The oldestOn rue Boulegon, the oldest fountain still to be seen in Aix.
The Fontaine des Fontêtes and its triton1988The stolen tritonOn place des Fontêtes, the little triton blowing into his conch shell was stolen. The students of the Arts et Métiers school in Aix sculpted it anew.
The masks of the Fontaine d'Argent1758The Fontaine d'ArgentIts name is said to come from its price, which the town council judged exorbitant (argent means money).
The Fontaine Moussue beneath the plane trees of the Cours Mirabeau18 °CThe fountain that steamsThe only fountain still fed by a hot spring, the Moussue steams on winter mornings.
05THE COURS MIRABEAU

And the four fountains of the Cours?

The Rotonde, the Neuf-Canons, the Moussue and the Roi René each have their own chapter, with drawings, in our article on the Cours Mirabeau.
Drawing, La RotondeLa Rotonde
Drawing, Les Neuf-CanonsLes Neuf‑Canons
Drawing, La MoussueLa Moussue
Drawing, Le Roi RenéLe Roi René
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SLEEP BESIDE THE FOUNTAINS

L'AUGUSTINHISTORIC CENTREL'AUGUSTIN20 m from the Fontaine des AugustinsLE BELVÉDÈRE MIRABEAUCOURS MIRABEAULE BELVÉDÈRE MIRABEAUOn the top floor, on the Cours of the four fountainsJARDIN MAZARINMAZARIN QUARTERJARDIN MAZARINView of the Fountain of the Four Dolphins
SEE ALL ARTICLESSee all
The Mazarin quarter, aristocratic AixThe Mazarin quarter, aristocratic AixNeighbourhoodsStreets laid out with a ruler, mansions of honey-coloured stone and the hush of the finest addresses.The Cours Mirabeau, the soul of AixThe Cours Mirabeau, the soul of AixNeighbourhoods440 metres of plane trees, café terraces and fountains: the most famous promenade in Provence.The historic centre, the heart of AixThe historic centre, the heart of AixNeighbourhoodsThe clock of the seasons, a marquis's square, the cathedral and film shoots.