Mazarin District and Fountain of the Four Dolphins, Aix-en-Provence

The Square of the Four Dolphins is in the heart of the Mazarin district (Quartier Mazarin) of Aix. It is at the intersection of Cardinal Street (rue Cardinale) and September 4th Street (rue Quatre-Septembre) next to Mirabeau Boulevard. The square is surrounded by mansions, including the Boisgelin Hotel, designed by architect Pierre Pavillon in 1655. In the center of the square is the Fountain of the Four Dolphins (Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins).

In 1645, the archbishop of Aix, Michel Mazarin, received King Louis XIV's permission to demolish the south ramparts of the city to build a modern upscale district in their place. Mazarin entrusted his urban planning to architect Jean Lombard. The area was laid out in a checkerboard grid and inspired by Italian Renaissance ideas.

In the center of the new district, Lombard built a square that he called Saint-Michel Square. Today it goes by the name the Square of the Four Dolphins. The fountain in the middle of the square is the work of sculptor Jean-Claude Rambot. It shows four ornate dolphins around a pyramid supporting a column holding a pine cone. The dolphins spout water into a large circular pool below. Four chestnut trees, planted in the square, surround the fountain.