CultureUpper Tyrrhenian Cosentino · Riviera dei Cedri
Seven Channels Fountain
The monumental sandstone fountain at the foot of Paola’s stairway: a 15th-century trough, a basin of 1636 and the peacock symbol of the town.
At the foot of Paola’s long stairway flows the Seven Channels fountain, the work of local craftsmen in sandstone. It is older than it looks: documents already mention it at the start of the 16th century, before the Spinelli marquises bought the fief, and its position on the edge of the old settlement suggests a trough for flocks from the second half of the 15th century. A 1563 letter by marquis Salvatore Spinelli speaks of “a large fountain with twelve holes”: perhaps the channels were originally twelve.
Today the fountain has an L-shaped plan, with four sandstone spouts on the long arm and three on the short one, each with a mouth from which the water flows. Against the short arm leans the monumental basin, dated 1636, semicircular, set against a Mannerist wall hinting at the Baroque: at the centre the image of Saint Francis, above the spouts seven scenes of his miracles (today prints, replacing the lost wall paintings) and at the top three shields with the peacock, symbol of Paola and of the Minim order, and the motto “Charitas”. In July 1943 the British bombing destroyed the stairway and the houses around it, but the fountain stayed standing; the stairway was rebuilt after the war on a different line, and the fountain has been restored several times, most recently in the 2010s.
Frequently asked questions
- Seven sandstone spouts (four on the long arm, three on the short one) plus the basin of 1636, which is the eighth source; a 1563 letter suggests there were perhaps twelve originally.
- It is the symbol of Paola and, less well known, of the Minim order founded by Saint Francis; it appears on the three shields above the basin with the motto “Charitas”.
How many channels does the Seven Channels fountain have?
What does the peacock on the fountain represent?
More places in Paola
- Old town
Rocchetta and old town of Paola
Paola’s old quarter between the Porta di San Francesco, the Clock Tower, the saint’s birthplace, the Norman-Aragonese castle and the Pisciariddi fountain.
- Culture
Church of Sotterra
Paola’s underground church, probably of the 9th–10th century, rediscovered in 1874 with its Byzantine frescoes and pilgrims’ graffiti.
-
Culture Sanctuary of Saint Francis of Paola
The regional sanctuary of Calabria’s patron saint, in the Isca valley: old basilica, 1436 hermitage, Via dei Miracoli and the new basilica of 2000.
Itineraries through here
-
4 daysGrand tourGrand Tour of the Riviera dei Cedri
Four days from north to south along the Upper Tyrrhenian Cosentino coast: islands, Norman towns, murals and sanctuaries.
11 stops8 townsMay–OctoberSee the stops - 2 daysSacred & culture
In the footsteps of the sacred
Two days among sanctuaries and devotion, from Saint Francis of Paola to the Madonna della Grotta.
3 stops3 townsAll year roundSee the stops