Location: Larnaca, Cyprus
In front of the entrance to Saint Joseph’s Monastery in Michalaki Paridi Square, Larnaca, is a cast iron fountain in memory of sister Sophie Chambon.
In October 1844, four French nuns from the mission St Joseph de l’Apparition in Lyon, France, arrived in Larnaca to serve the sick and poor alongside Dr. Joseph-Irenee Foblant. Within two years, a girls’ school, the island’s first hospital, and the convent of St Joseph de l’Apparition were built. Cyprus was ravaged by typhoid, cholera and dysentery epidemics during the mid-19th century, and the original four nuns quickly fell victim to these outbreaks.
Sister Sophie Chambon provided medical care to more than 200,000 patients regardless of their religion, nationality and gender. Sophie, who was later canonised, was called the ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Cyprus. She died from exhaustion after 23 years of service in 1894.
Revered by the people of Larnaca, an appropriate memorial which offered clean drinking water was erected in the convent’s grounds in 1895.
Drinking fountain number 8 from Walter Macfarlane & Co.’s catalogue was manufactured at the Saracen Foundry at Possilpark in Glasgow. The structure is 9 feet 6 inches high and consists of four columns, from the capitals of which consoles with griffin terminals unite with arches formed of decorated mouldings.
The original design offered rope moulded cartouches within lunettes on each of the four sides of the structure. However, this fountain has only one memorial shield. The Latin phrase, Ad Piam Memoriam Sororis Sophiae Larnaca Hoc Erexit 1895 translates as Erected This To The Pious Memory Of Sister Sophie Of Larnaca in 1895. The structure is surmounted by an open filigree dome, the finial being a crown with a Latin cross.
Under the canopy stands the font (design number 7) 5 foot 8 inches high. The terminal is a crane. The basin (2 feet 6 inches in diameter) which has a scalloped edge and decorative relief is supported by a single decorative pedestal with four pilasters and four descending salamanders, a symbol of courage and bravery. A central urn with four consoles offered drinking cups suspended by chains. The fountain was operated by pressing a button.
Symbolism was popular in Victorian times. Griffins are symbolic of guardians of priceless possessions, salamanders display bravery and courage that cannot be extinguished by fire, and cranes are recognized as a symbol of vigilance.
Glossary
- Cartouche, a structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription
- Console: a decorative bracket support element
- Filigree, fine ornamental work
- Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
- Griffin, winged lion denotes vigilance and strength, guards treasure and priceless possessions
- Lunette, the half-moon shaped space framed by an arch, often containing a window or painting
- Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue
- Pilaster, a column form that is only ornamental and not supporting a structure
- Terminal, statue or ornament that stands on a pedestal
Memorial Drinking Fountains 