Fountain Praça da República - Viana do Castelo

The fountain was built in the 16th century by the master stonemason João Lopes "the old man", the same man who made the fountain in Caminha and probably also some of the similar fountains that we can find in Galician cities such as Pontevedra.

It is said to have replaced an older fountain that was worked on by the stonemasons Fernão Anes (1512) and João Gonçalves (1523).

Work began in late 1553 and the fountain work was possibly completed in 1555. However , lack of funds caused the water canalization work to be postponed for the rest of the 1550s. For centuries, this was the drinking water supply for the inhabitants of Viana. In August 1559, due to lack of funds, the municipality decided to sell clothing (duvets and flags) belonging to the municipality to pay for the fountain work and other needs.

Willem Vandenameele