Fontaine Jean Valjean

Montfermeil

This is one of the rare places in Île-de-France sanctified not by a saint but by a novel. First called the Fontaine Buisson, after Léger Buisson, its owner in 1680, then the Fontaine de l'Abîme, this spring fed from the 16th century the ornamental waters and the pond of the park of the château of Montfermeil. Victor Hugo stayed at Montfermeil in 1845 and soaked up the place: in "Les Misérables", published in 1862, he set the Thénardiers' inn in the village and sent little Cosette, on Christmas night, to draw water from the spring in the woods, terrified by the darkness. It is there that Jean Valjean appears and takes hold of the handle of the too-heavy bucket: a gesture of charity that has become one of the most universal images in French literature. After the novel's success, the people quite naturally renamed the fountain, and local tradition places the meeting here — even if scholars debate the exact location described by Hugo. Destroyed in 1968 during the building of the Les Perriers housing estate, the fountain was quickly rebuilt, proof of the residents' attachment to it, and a street now bears its name. Since 2006, a bas-relief by Antoine Gilbert has immortalised the scene. Every summer, the historical festival "Suivez Cosette" (Follow Cosette) brings the Montfermeil of Les Misérables back to life, between literary memory and popular pride.

Getting there : Rue de la Fontaine Jean Valjean / avenue des Cigales, Les Perriers district, below the former "vieux chemin de l'Abîme"; tram T4 (Montfermeil branch), then a short walk. Approximate coordinates pointed at the rue de la Fontaine Jean Valjean.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound