Fontana della Navicella

Description:

• The Navicella fountain is situated in front of the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Domnica in Celio. It was erected by Pope Leon X around 1520. Its design was based on a pre-existing boat found near the Colosseum. According to one legend, it was a gift from a group of sailors that had survived a shipwreck, to Isis, the protector of sailors. The base was built from marble in the form of a Roman gallery but was only turned into a fountain and placed in its current position in 1931. It rests on a marble pedestal in a large oval tank made from travertine stone. The fountain is encircled by small posts joined by an iron chain.
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