The fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is located in front of the church of the same name and is considered to be the oldest in Rome. According to some sources, its history dates back to the 8th century. Its current incarnation is the work of Donato Bramante with later additions by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Carlo Fontana.
Although it is believed that the fountain has stood in this square since the 8th century, the exact date of its creation is unknown.
It is first mentioned in documents dating back to the second half of the 15th century – the image of the fountain, together with the legend of its origin, appears on a map of Rome drawn up by Pietro del Massaio in 1471.
According to a legend from the Chronicle of Eusebius, translated and completed by St. Jerome in the 5th century, on the night of Christmas, an oil fountain flowed in front of the church and was named Santa Maria in Fontibus.
Later, a real fountain was built on this spot, with water coming from the Aqueduct of Aqua Traiana. When the aqueduct was destroyed in the invasions of Rome, the water to the fountain came from underground springs along the Janiculum Hill. The fountain in Massaio’s drawing had two basins, one above the other, from which water flowed into a square basin below.
At the insistence of Giovanni Lopez, Bishop of Perusa and the parish of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the fountain was reconstructed between 1499 and 1500. The work was entrusted to Donato Bramante, the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Bramante removed the upper shell and added four wolf heads carved in stone, the emblem of the Lopez family (Latin lupus – wolf).
The next reconstruction was carried out in 1604 by the architect Girolamo Rainaldi, father of Carlo Rainaldi, who designed the two churches in Piazza del Popolo. This time the fountain was connected to the recently restored aqueduct of the Acqua Felice.
In 1659, water was pumped into the fountain from the Aqua Paola aqueduct, and another reconstruction was carried out by Bernini. He moved the fountain from the church to the center of the square, replaced the octagonal basin and added sculpted basins around it.
At the end of the 17th century, Carlo Fontana replaced Bernini’s basins with his own.
In 1873, the fountain was completely rebuilt, following the design of Bernini and Fontana, but using less expensive materials.
The pool was made of bardiglio marble and the imposing S.P.Q.R. sign was placed on the outside of the basins.
The next restoration was in 1930 and the last maintenance was in 1984.
