“A cascade of emotions,” I murmur, “frozen in time.” We stand before the Escalier de la Fontaine d’Amour. It’s a quiet haven, tucked away in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. This isn’t the famed Medici Fountain, often mistaken for the Fontaine d’Amour. Our fountain, the true Fontaine d’Amour, is a 1926 creation by Raoul Lamourdedieu. It carries the alternative names, Fontaine de la porte d’Auteuil and L’Éveil à la vie. The Escalier de la Fontaine d’Amour, these steps leading up to it, share a name and a history with the fountain. Notice the Art Deco style. It was a popular style in the 1920s, reflected in the fountain’s design. The fountain itself is an octagonal basin. At its heart, four young women, sculpted from yellow stone, support a central vase. From this vase, water flows, symbolizing perhaps, the ever-flowing nature of love. The Fontaine d’Amour at Place de la Porte-d-Autueil isn’t about grand displays. It is about the quiet moments, the gentle awakening of life and love.
Église Notre-Dame de l’Air
Beneath what appears to be a simple stone and wood structure lies a history interwoven with faith aviation and community.