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- Brugnani Fair & Fountain
Description
The Fiera Campionaria occupies a large area at the end of the passeggiata a mare. It is used for exhibitions, fairs and shows; once it was called Chalet and Giardino a mare (garden on the sea). It was dedicated to king Humbert I, and in 1934, was adapted to host the Sample Fair of Messina, which at one time was placed in an area in front of the Cathedral. In the interior, in 1988 Pope John Paul II officiated a mass in which he declared the blessed Eustochia Smeralda Calafato a saint, a Clarisse nun who lived in Messina during the 15th century.
After the main entrance, we find the Ghisa fountain (made of cast iron), placed in front of the secondary entrance. The fountain is made of a large circular base basin with a stele in the middle, decorated with putti, which supports a smaller basin with two putti holding a jug above their heads, which supports an even smaller basin.
The work was made by local artisans.
At the end of the path, there is another fountain, in Baroque-style, which is the work of the sculptor Ignazio Brugnani. This fountain represents his first work, made in 1738 when he was only 20 years old. The artist died some year later because of the plague. It had been placed in the cloister of a monastery near the church of St. Gregory, which collapsed during the earthquake of 1908. It was then moved and placed in the interior of the Fiera Campionaria. The fountain was seriously damaged during the bombings of the Second World War and, after many years, it was restored in 1980. The white marble fountain is made up of a composite basin. Three long tails of seahorses lean on the central stele. At the top of the basin made up of six shells, there is a dolphin ridden by a putto who has in his right hand the escutcheon of the noble family of Ruffo.
After the main entrance, we find the Ghisa fountain (made of cast iron), placed in front of the secondary entrance. The fountain is made of a large circular base basin with a stele in the middle, decorated with putti, which supports a smaller basin with two putti holding a jug above their heads, which supports an even smaller basin.
The work was made by local artisans.
At the end of the path, there is another fountain, in Baroque-style, which is the work of the sculptor Ignazio Brugnani. This fountain represents his first work, made in 1738 when he was only 20 years old. The artist died some year later because of the plague. It had been placed in the cloister of a monastery near the church of St. Gregory, which collapsed during the earthquake of 1908. It was then moved and placed in the interior of the Fiera Campionaria. The fountain was seriously damaged during the bombings of the Second World War and, after many years, it was restored in 1980. The white marble fountain is made up of a composite basin. Three long tails of seahorses lean on the central stele. At the top of the basin made up of six shells, there is a dolphin ridden by a putto who has in his right hand the escutcheon of the noble family of Ruffo.