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La Sauvetat 1

The large fountain

As early as 1862, the commune set about trying to supply the village with water. However, despite major sacrifices on the part of the local population, the first water supply works failed because of a faulty clay pipe. Thirty years later, the mayor and the council relaunched the project by asking a prominent local citizen for permission to build a water catchment area on a plot of land he owned. A permanent deal was made with the commune on condition that a tenth of the collected water would be reserved for the owner so that he could pipe it to his estate. In 1894, plans for the construction of the fountains were drawn up and work began shortly afterwards, although it would take many years. By 1925, eight of the village’s eventual 12 fountains had been built. However, it wasn’t until the late 1950s that water was supplied to every house in the village. Those fountains have never stopped flowing, much to the delight of the villagers, and are now part of the village’s heritage.

Image captions

  • The Place de la Fontaine in the early 20th century