Medici Fountain - Luxembourg Palace

Isn't this the perfect picture for Valentine's Day? Two lovers embracing...

The Medici Fountain is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful fountain in Paris. Marie de Medicis (French spelling), second wife of Henry IV and mother of Louis XIII commissioned several fountains, basins and grottos in her Paris estate: the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens.

The original fountain was unveiled in 1620, 400 years ago! So you can imagine with time, a few modifications have altered the monument. The original design consisted in a portico with decorative elements giving it the appearance of a grotto.

The sculpture you can admire now dates back to the Haussmann transformation of Paris and it represents the Cyclops Polyphemus surprising Galatea, the girl he loved in the arms of a shepherd... The shepherd was no match for the giant Cyclops who crushed him under a rock... Ouch! Happy Valentine's Day!