Elephant Fountain (u liotru)

The elephant fountain was built by Vaccarini as part of the reconstruction of the Etna city after the earthquake of 11 January 1693. It has been uncritically reiterated that the architect from Palermo was inspired by the Obelisk of the Minerva by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In reality, the iconography of the elephant surmounted by an obelisk with a ball on top is documented in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, page 38, (Venice, 1499) attributed to Francesco Colonna.

The base is made up of a white marble pedestal located in the center of a basin, also in marble, into which jets of water fall and come out of the base. On the base two sculptures reproduce the two rivers of Catania, the Simeto and the Amenano. Above is the statue of the elephant, facing the trunk towards the cathedral of Sant'Agata. This statue of uncertain age was originally obtained from a single block of lava stone, but following the earthquake of 1693 the hind legs were shattered, restored by Vaccarini himself in view of its location in the square. During the restoration the architect added the white eyes and limestone fangs. On the sides of the elephant a marble blanket falls on which are engraved the coats of arms of Saint Agatha, patron saint of Catania.

On the animal's back there is an Egyptizing obelisk, 3.66 meters high, in granite, hypothetically by Syene; it has no hieroglyphics, but is decorated with Egyptian-style figures that do not constitute a hieroglyphic writing of complete sense. Of uncertain chronology, perhaps it was one of the two destinations of the ancient Roman circus of Catania, the other, more fragmentary, is instead located in the courtyard of the Ursino Castle. On the top of the obelisk a globe has been mounted, surrounded by a crown of a palm leaf (representing martyrdom) and a branch of lilies (representing purity), above a metal tablet on which there is the inscription dedicated to Saint Agatha with the acronym "MSSHDEPL" ("Healthy and sincere mind, for the honor of God and for the liberation of his homeland"), and finally a cross.