He hides in the streets of the old city. He is great, though not a Colossus at all. It refreshes and energizes. It is as beautiful as Greece itself. It's as generous as the island of Crete. It is as old as the gray hairs of History. And he is a magical fountain.
And if you want the bonds of hymen to bind lovers forever, go to Rethymno. There quietly and mysteriously gurgle three sacred springs, united by a single ancient name - Rimondi Fountain. Its waters work wonders...
Who said that great things should be majestic? Come to think of it, does the Venetian Loggia look so pompous? But who would dare doubt the grandeur of this structure? You will say the same when walking through the streets of Rethymnon you will reach the Platano square, the central point of the Venetian city, about... four centuries ago.
Today you can read and listen to the guidebook (or your guide will take you to it) and find the famous fountain of Rimondi, one of the wonders of Crete. And since 1626, the place where the life-giving aqua vita flowed from the three lions' heads, everyone who was in the vicinity rushed to it.
You see, the life-giving water of the beautiful fountain of Rimondi relieved thirst, gave strength and filled with desire. Do you want to know if the centuries have preserved the fountain's miraculous power? Then go and drink the sacred water of Rimondi, which has been generously flowing from the mouths of lions for five centuries.
And do not be tempted by the abundance of restaurants and stores, adjacent to the ancient fountain. They are vanity, but he is eternity. The history of this sacred "drinker" dates back to the Byzantine period. It was then that Governor Rimondi ordered an unusual fountain to be placed near the central square, named after its founding father, the Rimondi Fountain.
You know, the "retimni fountain" could compete in originality with the flamboyant and pompous fountain of Morozini, which two years later was built by the governor of Heraklion and named in his honor. Which is better - you judge, but agree, if every governor of Greece, and any other country would leave behind an architectural memory, worthy of being called a "masterpiece", how much more beautiful would be the world and the place where we live ...
Even if you know nothing about Greek architecture and the words "columns of Corinthian order", "architrave" or "capitel" tell you exactly the same thing as "synchrophasotron", it's not a problem. What, pray tell, can prevent you from admiring the splendid four columns similar to those that rose at the facade of Hadrian's Library, in Athens, or those left behind in the Olympion, built there as well.
The tops of the columns are topped with carved "heads," capitals. They are as delightful today as they were 400 years ago. And all this splendor is adorned by the architrave, a stone girder-strip with two words carved in the middle: "Liberalitatis" (Generosity) and "Fontes" (Springs).
Oh, those aren't empty words! All right, "Springs" - try to deny that it's them, when three springs of crystal fresh and deliciously Cretan drinking water emerge from the wall. But remember, of the honey-blazing sun and the generous heart of Rimondi, who ordered to relieve the citizens from the torment of waterlessness and thirst by giving them free and accessible life-giving water.
And let not all the people of Crete be thrilled that there are so many Latin names left in their God-forsaken land. You are sure to say, "Thank you!" to the noble native of Italy who gave beautiful Greece this magical and generous fountain, forever adorned with a Latin utterance.
Do you want to know where in Rimonde's time drinking water was obtained for the eternal three jets flowing from the lions' mouths? It was common in those days to build a huge stone basin and collect drinking water there.
Also, if you want to drink the water and not just admire the fountain, prepare for the fact that you will or will not have to bow to the coat of arms of the Rimondi family, forever frozen in stone above the middle stream...
When the Turks conquered Rethymno, they too had an "Ottoman" hand in the beautiful Venetian fountain that decorated Hellas. They decided either to ennoble or to improve the city's water assets, adding Eastern splendor to the "Generous Springs" while departing from Italian architectural aristocratism.
As a result, a protective wall was born, or, excuse me, rebelled, and a dome-covering appeared on top of it. Neither of them, according to extant documents, was in any way in harmony with the exquisite fountain Rimondi. And maybe that's why the gods decided to tear down this Ottoman outrage from the face of the sacred Greek land?
Of course, today it is impossible to know what happened on the sacred Olympus. But the absence of the "Turkish" walls and the dome of the Rimondi Fountain, which have not survived to our day, is evidently an indication that Crete is blessed by the Gods with "architectural sources" and not with various alien "additions", even if they are sympathetic in appearance.
You know, it's indecent, coming back from Rethymnon, not to boast of a photo of you and your family leaning under the coat of arms of the Rimondi family, enjoying a refreshing drink of the clearest water. Whether it's raining or the scorching sun, the Rimondi fountain, from which only "living" water flows, will give you strength, health and energy. Go to it "to meet" - it really is a magical fountain ...
