Morozini Fountain

The Morosini Fountain, (or else the Fountain of the Lions), was the work of the Provveditore Generale Francesco Morosini and the engineers Zorzi Corner, Raffaello Monnani and Francesco Basilicata. The fountain was constructed in order to bring drinking water to Heraklion city. Heraklion had no springs, and its inhabitants used wells and rainwater cisterns. When it was built, it provided 1,000 barrels of water a day.

Thanks to Morosini, however, water from Archanes on Mt Juktas reached Heraklion along a 15-kilometre-long aqueduct. The work took 14 months to complete and the fountain was inaugurated on 25 April 1628, the feast of St Mark, patron saint of Venice.

The lobes of the fountain are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology, mainly Tritons, dolphins and nymphs, mythical water beings. At the centre of each lobe were the coats of arms of the Doge, the Duke, the Councillors and Morosini himself.

At the centre of the fountain, on a high octagonal pedestal, sit four proud lions with water flowing from their mouths. The lion is the symbol of Venetian power.

At the top of the fountain was a colossal marble statue of Poseidon with his trident, the masterpiece of a local artist. The statue is now lost.