La Fontaine Argence - Troyes

The Argence Fountain bears the name of Monsieur Argence (1812-1889), mayor of Troyes from 1859 to 1870.

That same year, he drew up a will in which, after his death, he bequeathed his estate to the city of Troyes to enable it to organize urban development works in the city, the construction of gardens surrounded by fences , the digging of avenues and the construction of the Argence fountain , for which he reserved 20,000 francs.

In June 1895, the city council approved the project for a fountain in the Rue de la République. The city allocated 15,000 francs for the purchase of a cast iron fountain and pipes from the Société du Val d'Osne. The people of Troyes protested against the chosen location and the mayor, Mr. Delaunay, asked them to choose between three locations, but only in the rue de la République could the purchased fountain be installed. Work on the fountain began in December 1895 under the direction of James Simonnot. In 1896, the new mayor, Mr. Mony, asked for the fountain to be moved to the Place du Lycée, but J. Simonnot objected and work was stopped. An agreement was reached and the Val d'Osne company was commissioned to install the fountain.

It was fed by the drinking water network and consumed 40,000 cubic metres per year, which is no longer the case today. The large Fontaine Argence, which adorns Place Jean Moulin, was stopped in 1991 after technical problems and the basin became a flower box in 2003. In 2010, it became a fountain again.

The main basin dominates a group of four figures resting on a pedestal. Above, a group of children is crowned by the upper basin, itself crowned by a falling vase. Four mermaids and four swans correspond to the eight corners of the basin and carry the water to the end of the fountain.

Willem Vandenameele