⭐ Travel Guide for Island Crete ⛵, Greece❗

Morosini Fountain – Lions of Heraklion

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The Morosini Fountain, widely known as the Lions FountainLions, is one of the finest monuments of Venetian Candia. It stands in the heart of the historic centre of Heraklion, in Eleftheriou Venizelou Square, commonly known as Lions Square.

The lack of an adequate supply of drinking water was one of the most serious problems faced by the fortified city. To resolve it, the Venetian General Provisioner of Crete, Francesco Morosini, constructed an extensive water-supply system approximately 15km long. It carried water from springs around Archanes and Skalani, on the foothills of Mount Giouchtas, to the centre of Candia through the monumental Morosini Aqueduct.

The project was completed in approximately fourteen months, and the fountain was inaugurated on 25 April 1628, the feast day of Saint Mark, patron saint of Venice. To commemorate its completion, Morosini issued a special medal depicting the fountain and its statue of Neptune.

The marble basin has an eight-lobed design that allowed many residents to collect water simultaneously. Its outer surfaces are decorated with reliefs inspired by Greek mythology and the marine world, including Tritons, dolphins and mythical sea creatures, together with Venetian coats of arms.

Four marble lions rise above the basin, with water flowing from their mouths. The original composition was crowned by a large statue of Neptune holding a trident. The statue disappeared at an unknown date, and the precise circumstances of its loss have not been established.

In 1847, during the Ottoman period, the appearance of the fountain was altered through the addition of marble columns and an inscription dedicated to Sultan Abdülmecid I. Holes were also opened in the lobes of the basin to accommodate taps, damaging parts of the original relief decoration.

Today, the Morosini Fountain is one of Heraklion’s best-known landmarks and preserves the memory of one of the most important public works undertaken in Venetian Crete.