The Fountain of the Dioscuri (Fontana dei Dioscuri) in Rome is located in the Piazza Quirinal in front of the Quirinal Palace, which is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.
The Dioscuri, twin brothers Castor and Polydeuces, were the greatest heroes of Greek mythology after Heracles. Castor’s father was the Spartan king Tyndareus, and Polydeuces’s father was Zeus. Their mother was Leda, the wife of Tyndareus. They also had a sister, Helen, also the daughter of Zeus. This dual paternity is a unique aspect of their myth.
Polydeuces was immortal and had great strength, making him invincible in a fist fight. Mortal Castor became the most skillful charioteer of a fighting chariot and tamer of the wildest and fierce horses.
The brothers accomplished many feats, participating in the Argonauts’ campaign, the Calydonian Boar hunt, and the war with the Amazons. They freed their sister Helen after she was kidnapped by Theseus and Pirithous. However, they could not prevent her kidnapping by Paris, because at that time they were in a somewhat unusual state – between the living and the dead, or, in the words of Homer, “one day alive, and another dead; by the honor that has fallen to their share, they are equal to the gods.”
Like many other Greek heroes, the Dioscuri migrated from Greek myths to Roman myths. Castor remained Castor, and Polydeuces became Pollux. Roman historians claim that they personally led the Roman cavalry in the battle with the Latins at Lake Regillus in 496 B.C., which brought victory to the Romans.
The first version of the fountain was made by sculptor Domenico Fontana in 1588 at the request of Pope Sixtus V. The statues of the Dioscuri, 5.5 meters high, were moved here from the Baths of Constantine and, although the names of Phidias and Praxiteles are carved on the pedestal, they were created in the 4th century A.D. (i.e. 600-700 years later).
In the late 1780s, Pope Pius VI ordered the square to be rebuilt. At the same time, the Dioscuri Fountain was moved to its present location. And in 1818 Pope Pius VII ordered a new version of the fountain. The reconstruction was carried out by architect Raffaele Stern. He also added an obelisk to the composition, which previously stood near the Mausoleum of Augustus on the Field of Mars. Since then, the appearance of the fountain has not changed.
At the same time, at the beginning of the 19th century, at the request of architect Giacomo Quarenghi, casts were made of the figures of the Dioscuri, which he then installed in St. Petersburg at the entrance to the Horse Guards Riding Hall.
The Dioscuri Fountain periodically underwent cosmetic repairs – cleaning and bleaching. Over time, it also required major repairs, which were completed in 2015. The basins were cleaned of scale (its thickness reached 8 cm), the water supply system and lighting were tidied up, and the statues were refreshed. The fountain was opened after major restoration by the 12th President of Italy Sergio Mattarella.
