Source Olho de Olhão

Category: Civil Architecture > Spring / Fountain

District: Faro > Olhão > Olhão > Sé e São Pedro

Location

The Olhão Eye Fountain is located in the Sé and São Pedro area, a central part of Olhão. This location offers a point of interest for those exploring the city streets on foot, inviting a reflective pause.

Its presence in this urban area underlines the place's connection to Olhão's origins, from a time when the availability of potable water was a crucial factor for the settlement of the first communities.

The Genesis of a Name

The city of Olhão's name has its roots in a natural phenomenon of great significance to the community that settled here. It is believed that "Olhão" is the augmentative of the word "olho" (eye), referring to a large eye of water, a spring or well with a significant flow.

It was the existence of such "eyes of water," abundant in this area, that allowed for the construction of the first rudimentary dwellings, marking the beginning of the settlement and, consequently, giving its name to the place where the city now stands.

Symbolism and Heritage

The Olhão Eye Fountain, as an urban element, symbolizes this original water richness that was vital for Olhão's development. It represents the importance of water in the settlement of the first people and the subsequent growth of the locality.

Although current conditions differ from those of old, the fountain serves as an evocation of the past, reminding us that the region's prosperity was once based on the abundance of essential natural resources, such as potable water, a resource highly sought after by the fishermen who settled here.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt