Patrick Comerford
I have only ever had one short story published, in a collection of Irish Times writers organised by Fergus Brogan and published as True to Type (1991) in a tribute to my friend and colleague, the late Revd Stephen Hilliard.
Like any writer, I suppose, I had a number of short stories in my creative and imaginative mind. Those were the years when I was getting to know Rethymnon almost 40 years ago, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and of course one of those imagined short stories was set in the Venetian harbour city on the north coast of Crete.
I had even decided on my name for the main character in that story set in Rethymnon: he was going to be Stavros Vrisakis. Stavros was a barman who with his friend Mikis ran the small bar below the apartment I rented during those years, facing on one side onto Arkadiou street, the vibrant heart of the old town, and on the other onto Eleftheríou Venizélou, the esplanade that runs the full length of the old town beach.
The bar is now a shop, the apartments are no longer available, Stavros and Mikis have moved on, and many of the nearby landmark buildings have been changed, including the former Achillion Hotel, once the oldest hotel in Rethymnon.
My choice of the name Vrisakis was inspired by Vrisakia (Βρυσακια), ‘the little taps’, the popular name in Rethymnon for the Rimondi Fountain or Krini Rimondi, one of the most prominent landmarks in the old town. The fountain is on the north side of Platanou Square, now Titou Petichaki Square, off Paleologou street and in the heart of the old Venetian town.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the fountain being built in 1626 by the Rector or Venetian Governor of Rethymnon, Alouise Rimondi, who erected it to supply a large part of the town’s water needs. It replaced an earlier fountain erected in 1588, and was part of a broader effort by Rimondi to improve the infrastructure of the town.
The pipeline that brought the water to the Rimondi Fountain was uncovered during infrastructure works. It is a jointed stone conduit, which, according to the 17th century Venetian plans, comes from Evligia hill to south of the city and the source of the fountain’s water.
The Rimondi Fountain was part of a modernisation of the town’s water supply in the 17th century, bringing fresh, cool water from Vrysina to Rethymno. It originally faced a small square and provided a public gathering place for the people of Rethymnon.
The Rimondi Fountain is a remarkable example of Venetian Renaissance architecture, and its design combines classical elements with the practical needs of the town, making it a fine, delicate and detailed Venetian work of architecture, engineering and artistry.
Three basins below three lions’ heads spout out constant and steady flows of water. The lions’ heads are carved with attention to detail, their expressions fierce and proud. These lions’ heads are not just decorative but symbolise the strength of the Venetian Empire.
Above the central basin is the Rimondi family coat of arms and a Latin inscription, ‘Alvise Rimondi, Venetian governor, erected this fountain in the year 1626.’
Four columns ending in Corinthian capitals are adorned with acanthus leaves and decorative scrollwork and they add a touch of grandeur to the edifice, elevating it from a simple source of water to a work of art. They have been compared with those at the façade of Hadrian’s Library in Athens, and they enhance the visual impact of the fountain, creating a sense of balance and symmetry.
The four Corinthian capitals support an architrave or stone girder-strip engraved with two in Latin words, Liberalitatis Fontes, ‘Fountain of Generosity’.
During the Ottoman occupation of Crete, the fountain was walled in and a dome was added above the fountain. Most of the dome was demolished 100 years ago in 1926, and only one of the columns from the dome stood survives today. The dome was removed by Titos Petichakis, Τίτος Πετυχάκης (1874-1966), who gives his name to the square and who was the longest-serving Mayor of Rethymnon (1925-1941, 1945-1950).
In all, eight historic fountains survive in Rethymnon: most of them come from Ottoman period, but the Rimondi Fountain is the only one that dates back to the Venetian era. Drinking water continues to flow from the three lions’ mouth that have served as taps for the past 400 years. It sits among a cluster and of bustling bars, cafés and restaurants, making it a popular meeting place for local people and tourists alike, and it is one of the most photographed attractions in Rethymnon.
The Rimondi Fountain remains one of the most recognisable and photographed landmarks in the heart of the Old Town, alongside the Fortezza, the Loggia, the Porta Guora, the harbour and lighthouse and the former customs house.
Rethymnon’s Venetian fountain cannot compete with the flamboyant grandeur of the Morosini Fountain, popularly known as τα Λιοντάρια (‘The Lions’) which was built two years later by the Governor of Iraklion, Francesco Morosini, and named in his honour.
But as evening falls in Rethymnon, the Rimondi fountain is softly lit, casting a warm glow over the square. The lighting accentuates the intricate details of the lion heads and Corinthian columns, and the soft glow adds to the romantic atmosphere of the square.
90 seconds by the Rimondi Fountain in Rethymnon (Patrick Comerford)
