Fontaine des Dominicains

Fontaine des Dominicains is a historic fountain in Grasse, France, standing on the site of the former Saint Jacques Hospital. The hospital’s history reaches back before the twelfth century. Medieval charitable institutions gathered here, including Saint Marguerite Hospital, a maladrerie, and works linked to Saint Pierre and Saint Hilaire. The Dominican convent occupied the site from the mid-thirteenth century until the French Revolution.

After the Revolution, Jean Joseph Hugues established a perfume workshop in part of the former hospital during the early nineteenth century. His enterprise later expanded across neighbouring buildings. The factory moved to Grasse’s outskirts in the early twentieth century, after the facade changed in 1881. Schools, a pharmacy, a post office, a bakery, and a casino now surround the historic setting. The fountain may receive spring water or tap water, but its exact source remains unclear.

A small Saint Jacques chapel outside the city centre remains the clearest reminder of the former religious institutions. Each year, a patronal festival with a fair keeps Saint Jacques connected to local life.