Saint John's Fountain or Saint John's Corner

Category: Religious Architecture > Niche

District: Lisboa > Cascais > Carcavelos > Núcleo Urbano Histórico da Rebelva

Location

The Fountain of São João, or affectionately known as Cantinho de São João (São João's Corner), is located within the Rebelva Historic Urban Core, a picturesque area steeped in tradition in the locality of Carcavelos. This locality belongs to the municipality of Cascais, in the district of Lisbon. Upon visiting this nook, the observer is transported to an environment of calm, typical of old Portuguese settlements, where history and daily life intertwine.

Its positioning within this historic core invites a serene discovery experience, revealing one of the distinctive features of the popular and religious architecture that marked and still marks the urban landscape of the region.

Essence and Symbolism

This modest yet deeply meaningful place translates into a small structure that combines the dimensions of a fountain with that of a devotional niche. Dedicated to Saint John, this space reflects a profound tradition of faith and popular devotion, common in many Portuguese communities. The presence of a fountain underscores the importance of water, historically associated with purity, life, and renewal, as well as the role of John the Baptist.

The epithet "Cantinho de São João" (São João's Corner) evokes an atmosphere of intimacy and recollection, suggesting a brief stopping point where one can feel the presence of the sacred and the memory of generations who sought solace or simply a moment of peace there.

Architecture and Environment

The structure of the Fountain of São João characteristically presents itself as a built niche, sometimes embedded in a wall or larger architectural element, housing the image of the saint and a water point. Its formal simplicity is, in itself, a testament to local devotional architecture, where functionality and symbolism unite without great artifice.

The surrounding environment, within the Rebelva Historic Urban Core, completes the experience, with its features of old urbanism, inviting a more prolonged appreciation of the authenticity and intangible heritage that these small places represent.

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