Chafariz da Praça da Armada

From atop the Chafariz da Praça da Armada, a stern Neptune surveys his watery domain. He clutches his trident, a silent guardian of this bustling Lisbon square. This fountain, the Chafariz da Praça da Armada, wasn’t always Neptune’s stage. It replaced a humble horse trough in 1845. The Câmara Municipal de Lisboa commissioned its construction, a much-needed source of fresh water for the growing city. Fed by the Aqueduto das Águas Livres, the fountain gurgles with the same water that flows through the Chafariz das Necessidades. But not from the main obelisk fountain. It’s drawn from a separate source near the Oratorian convent. The Chafariz da Praça da Armada has a unique, layered design. A circular podium, flanked by animal troughs, forms the base. Steps lead up to a large, rectangular water box. Four pillars, topped with a Doric entablature, mark the corners. From each pillar, grotesque mascarons spew water into the basins below. These salvaged faces, remnants of the never-built Chafariz do Campo de Santana, add a touch of the macabre to the scene. Imagine the stories these stone faces could tell. The fountain’s main face, proudly facing the street and nearby barracks, displays two panels. One bears the city’s coat of arms. The other, an inscription: “N.10/CAMARA MUNICIPAL/1845,” a testament to its origins. Above the entablature, a pyramid-shaped pedestal rises. Decorated with acanthus leaves at its base, it supports the imposing figure of Neptune. This sea god isn’t a newcomer to Lisbon. He once graced the Chafariz do Campo Grande until its demolition in 1850. Now, he stands watch over the Chafariz da Praça da Armada, a silent witness to the ebb and flow of Lisbon life.