Place de la Fontaine, Montferrand

Located at the southern entrance to the medieval town, Place de la Fontaine recalls the arrival of running water in Montferrand in the 17th century. A place of passage, it was also the stage for the famous “White Mules” cavalcade in 1814.
The square is now the main entrance to the medieval town. It lies to the south of the former Porte de l'Hôpital, which opened onto the road to Languedoc. The branch town hall contains an interior courtyard, surrounded by arcaded galleries, which belonged to the former 18th-century hospital.

Until the middle of the 17th century, Montferrand was supplied with water only by the Tiretaine and a few wells. In 1650, the Lion Fountain was built in the square, before being moved twice. It now stands at the corner of Rue Kléber and Rue Saint-Antoine. The present fountain dates from 1836.

In the early 17th century, it was decided to replace the winding road linking Montferrand to Clermont with a straight one. It was not until 1630, with the Edict of Troyes, which united Montferrand with its rival Clermont, that the route of the “Great Road” was definitively established. Initially known as the “Avenue Royale”, the Clermont–Montferrand road became the “Avenue de la République” during the French Revolution.

This avenue was the setting for a cavalcade that earned the people of Montferrand their nickname, the “White Mules”. The name dates back to the visit to Clermont-Ferrand in 1814 of the Duchess of Angoulême, the eldest daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and the niece of Louis XVIII. Arriving from Paris, the procession passed through Montferrand on its way to Clermont. At Place des Cordeliers, 80 young men dressed in white unharnessed the horses, took hold of the princely carriage and pulled it through Montferrand to the applause of the crowds. They continued their efforts all the way to Clermont. As the unusual team passed, spectators lining the route exclaimed: “Here come the white mules!”