Fontaine Saint-Michel is a striking fountain commissioned by Baron Haussmann in the late 1850s, under orders from Napoleon III, as part of the grand project to renovate and beautify Paris.
The fountain dramatically depicts the archangel Michael vanquishing the Devil, reminiscent of the age old battle between Good and Evil. Unlike other fountains in Paris it uses different colours of stone, including columns of red marble, green marble, blue stone and yellow stone, along with bronze statues. For this reason, along with its placement against a wall instead of in the centre of a Square, the initial reaction to its construction was mixed.
The Fountain was the last monumental wall fountain built in Paris, putting to an end the traditional Renaissance style begun with the Medici Fountain (in the Jardin du Luxembourg) in the 17th century. It is now a convenient and unmissable meeting point for numerous walking tours in Paris (see the red umbrella in the photo!!).