Continued from Page 2
Renovating the Square
This fountain, "the most beautiful in Europe," as a 17th century author wrote, which "rises with a majestic abundance that seems to send a river into the air," remained in its strange position, out of line with the obelisk in the center of the square and with its contemporary, Maderno's new and immense facade for the basilica, until Alexander VII (Chigi, 1655-67) decided to erect the huge colonnade. A manuscript said at the time, the colonnade was built mainly to provide a living for the hordes of craftsmen who were unemployed. In fact, "His Holiness Alexander VII having resolved to build around the square of the Sacred and Holy Vatican Basilica a most noble porticoed 'theater,' not so much to increase admiration for that most famous edifice today celebrated all over the world, as to provide an opportunity for work to the great number of poor craftsmen who, in the present disastrous times, can find nothing to do. This most holy intention has given cause for rejoicing to the whole city, and especially the said poor craftsmen, who are praying to the Lord God that this noble and worthy work will soon begin."
So Bernini, who had the task of reorganizing the whole enormous square, demolished the old fountain in order to line it up with the obelisk and with the new fountain planned for the opposite side. He then rebuilt it a few yards further forward, still to Maderno's design, the only changes being that he enlarged and the basin and made it considerably lower.
Work on the two fountains began on the morning of January 8, 1667, but while the old one was probably completed within a twelvemonth, the new one took ten years because of the shortage of the Aqua Paola. Despite its great abundance, there was simply not enough water to supply two fountains of that size, each requiring 300 ounces. Additionally, it was not easy to find new sources to augment the pure water from the aqueducts of Trajan and Paul V, unless water that was completely undrinkable were to be included.
In fact the Orsini family, who owned Lake Bracciano, had tried as early as the pontificate of Innocent X (1644-55) to sell the Papal Council 1000 ounces of water from their lake. Quite rightly, the offer had always been refused on the grounds that the water was too polluted for a public aqueduct. The Roman family tried it on again with Alexander VII, since they knew he was desperate for more water to build the huge fountain he wanted in St. Peter's Square, but again they failed. Nonetheless, despite remaining unconvinced by the persuasions of Ferdinando Orsini, the Pope thought it a good idea to use unhealthy water from the River Arrone for his purpose.
As a result, although the latter was not used in the end, Duke Flavio Orsini refused to let go his prey and, eventually, in 1673 he succeeded in selling Clement X the 1000 ounces of water from his lake, which ruined the last hope of restoring the drinkable quality of the water from the Pauline aqueduct.
With the guarantee of the new water supply, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was finally able to complete the second fountain, identical to the first. This second fountain was inaugurated on June 28, 1677, in the reign of Innocent XI.
With all that has been said about this water, you may be interested to know that the noble Roman family sold it as being of drinkable quality. There is evidence of this in a contemporary document (1675) signed by a trustworthy member of the Papal Council who stated that he had been present on the premises of the Sapienza University at "a number of experiments made to prove the goodness of the water from Lake Bracciano." This was carried out on the basis of a rigorous examination and in accordance with the writings, perhaps not all that recent, of Avicenna (10th century A.D.), Galen (2nd century A.D.) and, most especially, Hippocratus (5th century B.C.).
