Sources

Route 7 – Paredes fountain

The Paredes fountain is a well-preserved historical fountain. It is located along the route of the Santiago River Park. Near the fountain, remnants of ancient tanneries, a testament to the industrial activity of the past in the area, can be found.

Route 7 – Sar bridge

Medieval stone bridge over the Sar River built to overcome the last river obstacle of the Silver Route. It has three arches, as the river was much more swollen back then. It is located very close to the collegiate church of the same name.

Route 20 – Laraño fountain and washing place

They are located on the north wall of the enclosure of the Church of San Martiño de Laraño, a baroque church located next to the train track. The washing place was a communal space where local women washed clothes, while the fountain provided drinking water. Both elements are typical of Galician popular architecture. The complex is surrounded by an atrium with trees, a transept and a music box, which makes it a place with great heritage and social value.

Route 20 – Santo Domingo fountain and washing place

It is a spring located near Fonte da Amañecida, as well as the Chapel do Divino Salvador de Vidán.

Route 18 – Vite fountain

It was designed by the architect José María Banet y Díaz Varela in 1969. It was an ornamental granite fountain with a wall ten meters in diameter and a central body, which functioned as a roundabout. Furthermore, it had water jets and a lighting system. Its construction was completed in 1972 and had a significant cost overrun.
It remained in Red Square until 1990, when it was moved to Vite, where it is currently located in a green area behind the nursery school, between Avenida del Burgo das Nacións and Calle de Alexandre Bóveda.

Route 18 – Guadalupe fountain

The Guadalupe fountain in Vite (15th century) is a historic fountain that is part of the oldest drinking water supply system in Spain, coming from the "Ark of Water". This system was created by the Hieronymite monks to supply the monastery and the town. The fountain, located in the Vite neighborhood, is an important landmark in the area and is related to the old Guadalupe factory, a tannery that was the most important in Galicia.

Route 18 – Fountain – washing place at Mount Deus

At the base of the mountain, you can see a fountain and a small wash place, both renovated by the neighborhood itself in 1960 to be able to have an adequate water supply.

Route 18 – San Xoán park fountain

It is a point of interest in the city, especially known for its location in the park and for its historical and scenic value. The park, with an area of about 30,000 square meters, was conditioned between 2009 and 2011, including the planting of native trees and the improvement of its facilities. At the base of the mountain where the park is located, there is the fountain and a small washing place, both renovated by the neighbors in 1960 to ensure the water supply.

It is an important element for the local community, as it not only offers a water supply point, but is also part of the history and heritage of the park. It is an important green space in Santiago de Compostela, which offers a place of rest and recreation for citizens and visitors.

Route 8 – Captains’ fountain

This historic fountain is located in the oak grove between Sar and the current Santiago-Ourense road, a couple of meters further north than the original piping, which was taken apart when the terrain was taken up by the train station. However, the situation was very different long ago, as it was surrounded by a forest of chestnuts and oaks, which were very common and plentiful at the time.
According to some documents, its origin goes back to the year 1808, during the Independence War, when Napoleon’s troops were quartered in the Sar Collegiate Church, where they had their encampment. The story goes that the name of the fountain is due to a series of abductions done to captains from the French troops by a group of guerrillas around this fountain, but other possible origins are considered as well. According to the bulletin of the RAG (Royal Galician Academy), the name’s origin is due to Domingo Fontao, who was a captain, and his wife, the couple being known as the captains. When they discovered the fountain, they set it up to gather water, and it came to be known as the Captains’ Fountain.

Route 8 – Virxe da Cuncha fountain

The historical Virxe da Cuncha (“Virgin of the Shell”) Fountain was recovered in 2018. Documented since the year 1637 by Tirso de Molina, it was a place of secular devotion, and it’s believed to be the origin of the Conxo neighborhood. It also has a strong relationship with St. James’s Way, specially with the Portuguese Way, as the pilgrims left Santiago through Conxo to head to maritime areas and leave Galicia after their pilgrimage. The fountain is the original one, with a spring located 3 meters underground (the only things not remaining from the original fountain are two arches from the XII century, which were relocated to the Monastery of Conxo, where they originally belonged).