The legend of the Bear Fountain

The name "Bear Fountain" has its origins in a local legend. Legend has it that in 605, Arey, bishop of Gap, was returning from meeting the pope in Rome when one of the oxen in his team was put to flight by a bear. The prelate then ordered the wild animal to get under the yoke in place of the missing ox, and the animal obeyed. Once in Gap, Arey is said to have released the bear, which retreated into the mountains. Several centuries later, when the abbey of Boscodon was founded, the remains of a large bear were unearthed near a spring. And the public were quick to recognise it as the Saint Arey bear.In the summer of 2017, a larch bear sculpture was installed near the fountain as a reminder of this story.