Fanucci wrote in 1602: "Although there have always been Jews who have converted to the Catholic Faith, there has nevertheless been no one proper place where they could be received and receive instruction, but they have always had to go here and there." This may help you understand the name a little better.
This was not in suit with the compassion of Rome, so the head of the Christian Religion, which, "like a loving mother must open her heart to all comers who desire to suckle on her pure milk," brought all the male converts together at S. Giovanni de’ Mercato at the foot of the Capitoline Hill. Paul III also decided to erect a monastery in the Monti district for the women and girls who chose to convert to the Catholic faith. The women were to be baptized, and would not be allowed to leave until they married Christian husbands.
The “Convert’s Fountain” therefore served as a place of hope for the reformers of Rome. The fountain was a place of comfort, and sitting beside the tranquil waters a place for reflections as well.
