The Fuente de Santa Maria, or Fountain of Saint Mary, is located at the centre of the square known as Plaza de Santa Maria, between the Seminary and the Cathedral.
It is an interesting work of hydraulic engineering executed in cut stone that commemorates, in architectural terms, the bringing of water from a spring located far from Baeza, right to the very heart of the town.
The fountain was built by the public authorities in 1564 under the direction of master Gines Martinez de Aranda.
It consists of a lobed basin holding a triumphal arch of three openings (a semicircular arch in the middle and a lintelled arch right and left), sustained by four pilasters forming part of eight columns. The second section contains commemorative plaques in-between human figures. The fountain is crowned by the royal coat of arms of Philip II, capped by a pediment.
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