Place et Fontaine d'Albertas

Fountain in Aix en Provence

Aix-Place D’Albertas
CC BY-SA 4.0 / Bjs

In the 16th century, Jean Agar, an adviser to the Parliament of Aix, sold his property to the Paulhes, a family from Marseille. Subsequently, in the 18th century, the Paulhes sold the house to the d’Albertas family, originally from Alba, Italy, who had settled in Provence in the 14th century.

In 1724, Marquis Henri Reynaud d’Albertas, also an adviser to the King, hired the city architect Laurent Vallon to extensively renovate his mansion. Henri acquired and demolished buildings across from his home to enhance the property. After his death in 1746, his son, Jean-Baptiste d’Albertas, continued the project, commissioning Georges Vallon, Laurent’s son and the new city architect.

Georges Vallon designed an exquisite small square in front of the d’Albertas residence, inspired by the royal squares of Paris. The square, known as Place d’Albertas, is flanked by four mansions with nearly identical facades and wrought-iron balconies in front of large windows.

At the center of the square stands the Fontaine d’Albertas, a grand chalice made of cast iron set within a large circular pool. This pool is encircled by a delicate iron railing, crafted by students from the School of Arts and Crafts of Aix-en-Provence.

The Place et Fontaine d'Albertas appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Aix en Provence!

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Visiting Place et Fontaine d'Albertas

Hours:

24 hours


Price:

Free

Address: Place d'Albertas 11 Rue Espariat 13100 Aix-en-Provence France
Duration: 10 minutes

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