Fontaine des Pisseurs, Lacaune

The fountain of the Pisseurs is a fountain located on the Place du Griffoul in the commune of Lacaune. It is dated from the 16th century.

Lacaune has natural hot springs, whose properties have been known since antiquity. The waters of Lacaune have diuretic properties. The Font dels Pissaires illustrates the effects of these waters through the intermediary of four children who "piss" these waters unperturbed.

Jacques II de Bourbon, Count of La Marche, son of Catherine de Vendôme, Countess of Castres, was taken prisoner at the battle of Nicopolis in 1396. To be freed, he had to pay a ransom. The inhabitants of Lacaune gave 300 gold ecus for his release. In gratitude, the consuls of Lacaune obtained the right to bring water from the Teron to the place du Griffoul and to build a fountain at their own expense in 1399. But it was not finished until 1559.

The creator of the fountain made an original work by making the water come out of the head and an imposing penis of four bronze characters placed at the top of the fountain who were nicknamed the pissaïres. This representation may be intended to show the diuretic qualities of the water. The four figures pee in a polygonal basin placed two meters high, then the water passes through three columns to spout out through the mouths of medieval monsters and fall into another, larger sandstone basin, ringed with iron at its base.

The Fountain of the Weavers is classified as a historical monument since November 28, 1913.