Fontaine de l'Hôpital

The Fontaine de l'Hôpital, or Fontaine de l'Asne, was built in 1760 in front of the Hôtel des Seigneurs de Crillon (or Hôtel Dieu) which later became a hospital. Apparently another fountain was in the same place at the beginning of the 17th century.

Less refined than its cousins Reboul, Cormorant and Souchet, this fountain is decorated with a pine cone at the top and masks referring to the legend of King Midas.

The Legend of King Midas

Silenus, satyr and tutor of the God of Wine Dionysus, gets lost in the gardens of King Midas while he is drunk. Nevertheless, the king decided to offer him hospitality. To thank him, Dionysos offered to grant him one of his wishes. Midas then exclaims “Let everything I touch turn into gold! ”.

God complies, but Midas soon realizes that it is impossible for him to eat or to quench his thirst. Anything he brings to his mouth instantly turns into gold. A victim of his own greed, he finally realizes that water is much more precious than all the gold in the world.

Booklet 'The Fountains of Pernes'

Do you want to know more about the iconic fountains of Pernes-les-Fontaines? This booklet offers a historical explanation of nearly 14 fountains as well as numerous illustrations, but it also gives the answer to the eternal question: 'But how come there are so many fountains in Pernes? '.

On sale at the Pernes-les-Fontaines tourist office/15 pages/2€/Author: Pierre Gabert and illustration by Henri Giraud/By check or cash/No distance selling

Booklet 'Pernes, the Pearl of Comtat: the Short Guide'

Discover the history of Pernes-les-Fontaines through its coat of arms, its great monuments, its mansions and its most emblematic fountains. A short 30-page guide in A5 format that will allow you to do a quick overview but provides you with the main assets of the city.

On sale at the Pernes-les-Fontaines tourist office/30 pages/2€/Authors: Laetitia Onde-Quiot and Jean-Pierre Segarra/By check or cash/No distance selling

Book 'Pernes-les-Fontaines'

An irreplaceable summary of the history of this village in which, over the centuries, wars, rabies, plague, and enfeodations could in no way affect the beauty, the art of living and the vitality of Pernes. By putting the past into the present, this book on the city of Pernes invites us to travel. A journey through history, a time machine, it takes us through the streets, into the heart of the fountains, into the daily life of a past where centuries speak of their legend. Through the monuments and events that illustrated this small town from Comtadine, the authors have perpetuated, in their own way, the oral tradition by reviving the country chapels surrounded by the legend of their patron saints, the flour and oil mills, the flour and oil mills, the picturesque bories and the ancient hotels of the old town that proudly taunt time.

En vente à l'office de tourisme de Pernes-les-Fontaines / 171 pages / 7.50 € / Auteurs : Denise Cartoux, Pierre Fayot, Pierre Gabert / Par chèque ou espèces / Pas de vente à distance