The Fontaine de Tourny looks as though it was designed for Quebec’s Parliament Hill, but the fountain spent much of its earlier life in France. Its route from a 19th-century foundry to Bordeaux, an antiques dealer near Paris and finally Quebec City is as interesting as the monument itself.
Designed in France in 1853
French sculptor Mathurin Moreau designed the fountain in 1853. The Val d’Osne art foundry cast six copies in iron, and one was displayed at the Paris World’s Fair in 1855. The work received a medal of excellence, and the mayor of Bordeaux acquired two copies for the Allées de Tourny.
The design is packed with aquatic symbolism. Four children on the upper level celebrate fishing and seafaring, while figures near the main basin represent river gods and water nymphs. Fish, frogs, shellfish and plants reinforce the theme. Those details reward a close look, especially when the fountain is operating and the water connects the different levels.
From Bordeaux to an antiques dealer
The two Bordeaux fountains were removed in 1960 to make room for an underground parking project and were sold by weight. One eventually found a new home in Soulac-sur-Mer. The other was dismantled and ended up at an antiques dealer in Saint-Ouen, near Paris, where damaged and missing pieces left it far from its original appearance.
Quebec City businessman Peter Simons encountered that dismantled fountain in the early 2000s. After acquiring it, he engaged a Paris specialist to restore the metalwork and recreate lost components. The completed fountain was then shipped across the Atlantic to Quebec City.
A gift for Quebec City’s anniversary
Peter Simons and La Maison Simons presented the restored fountain to Quebec City in connection with the city’s 400th anniversary in 2008. The gift also reflected the Simons family’s long relationship with Quebec City. Our article on Simons and its Quebec City history explains how the retailer began here in 1840.
The City of Québec, the National Assembly and Simons selected the traffic circle opposite the Parliament Building. Preparing the location took two years and included water-pumping and filtration systems, landscaping and nighttime lighting. The Fontaine de Tourny was connected to the water supply and officially inaugurated on July 3, 2007—one year before the 400th-anniversary celebrations.
Where to find the Fontaine de Tourny
The fountain sits at Place de l’Assemblée-Nationale in front of Quebec’s Parliament Building, near the junction of Grande Allée and avenue Honoré-Mercier. It is just outside the walls of Old Quebec and easy to include in a walk between Parliament Hill, the Saint-Louis Gate and Grande Allée.
The site is outdoors and free to view at any hour, but the experience changes with the season. Visit Québec City describes 43 water jets reaching nearly seven metres and notes that the water is generally shut down from approximately November through April. Evening illumination adds another dimension after dark. Snow can still make the sculpture photogenic, but spring through fall is the better period if you want to see it functioning as a fountain.
How to photograph and visit it
For a balanced photograph, step back far enough to include the Parliament Building behind the fountain. A lower angle emphasizes the sculpture, while a position slightly off-center helps separate the figures from the building. Morning and late-afternoon light are usually softer than midday sun, and the illuminated fountain works well during blue hour.
Give yourself 10 to 20 minutes to circle the monument and examine the figures. You can then continue into Old Quebec through the nearby Saint-Louis Gate. For the complete documented history, consult the City of Québec’s Fontaine de Tourny heritage page.
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