Fontaine des Innocents

The Cimetière des Saint-Innocents was, for more than six centuries, the graveyard of Paris. Located inside the medieval walls, it was situated close to the marketplace at Les Halles, now the site of the Forum des Halles.

Designed and sculpted by architect Jean Goujon, the fountain was created between 1546 and 1549. It was built into a wall at the intersection of Rue St. Denis and Rue au Fers (now Rue Berger). The French Mannerist sculptor and architect was one of the main figures in French Renaissance art, becoming the official Sculptor to King Henry II in 1547. Besides the fountain, Goujon’s most famous works include the sculptural decorations designed for the western extension of the Louvre in the 1550s.

As part of the design of the last Renaissance fountain in Paris, Goujon sculpted Henry II’s Coat of Arms and the first letter of his name on the fountain. He also paid tribute to Catherine de Medici in the same manner. The nymphs that Goujon included on each side of the Fontaine des Innocents are typical of the Mannerist style – tall and thin. Angels decorate the arch as do traditional “putti” – naked, plump little boys with wings – very common in Renaissance and Mannerist works.

The fountain was relocated to the center of the Square des Innocents just south of Les Halles. The square was created two years earlier at the site of a graveyard, le Cimetière des Innocents (cemetery of the innocent). The cemetery is thought to have been a children's cemetery, hence the name.

After the relocation, a fourth side was sculpted by Augustin Pajou to match the existing sides, as previously there were only three sides because the fountain was set into a wall.