Discover the 21 keys of Porto
A Pinguela Fountain is one of the most remarkable examples of Porto’s civil artistic heritage. Carved in ashlar stone, it formed part of the assets linked to the Order of Santiago, to which Porto and Pías belonged from 1222 until its disappearance in the 19th century, within the Encomienda of Castrotorafe, in Zamora.
The exact date of its construction is not documented, although its formal features and neoclassical style suggest that it was probably built in the 18th century, at the same time as the remodeling works carried out on the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
Among its most distinctive elements is a single-piece relief, possibly brought from another location, showing the iconography of the Order of Santiago: two rampant lions holding the Cross of Santiago, emblem of the military order. This cross, shaped like a sword with fleur-de-lis ends, symbolizes both the chivalric character of Saint James and his martyrdom.
At the lower part of the shield appears the head of Medusa, a mythological figure from whose mouth flows the fresh water of Porto’s springs.
Today, A Pinguela Fountain stands once again in its original location. After several relocations and the passage of time, it had lost the pediment that originally crowned its neoclassical design, but this feature has now been restored.
Order of Santiago
Neoclassical Style
Rampant Lions
Medusa Head
