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Onofrio's fountain.
The
famous Italian architect from Naples, Onofrio della Cava built a
fountain in 1438 which is today known as the large Onofrio's fountain,
although it was heavily damaged in 1667 earthquake. The fountain is
located in the center of a small square near the Franciscan monastery
and the Pila Gate. In those days most of the cities in Dalmatia handled
the problem of water supply by building rainwater tanks, but the people
of Dubrovnik wanted fresh spring water in their city. Onofrio built an
aqueduct that supplied water to the city from the spring Šumet in the
mainland, 12 km distant. The larger Onofrio's fountain is circular in
shape and at the same time it can serve as a water tank. The water
flows from figures of 16 masked faces – "maskeroni". Small Onofrio's
fountain is located on the opposite end of Stradun and it supplied water
to
the
marketplace on Luža square. |
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