Largo do Machado Fountain is reconnected after being inactive for 3 years

The fountain, which surrounds the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, has undergone renovation - Disclosure/City of Rio

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through the Municipal Conservation Department, has returned one of the symbols of Largo do Machado to the city. The fountain, which surrounds the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, had been turned off and had not received proper maintenance since 2017. It was back in operation this weekend. The sculpture also underwent cleaning and restoration.

The Secretary of Conservation, Anna Laura Secco, made a point of being present when the fountain was turned back on. Father Sérgio, from the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Glória, located in Largo do Machado, blessed the monument. Also present were the Secretary of Urban Planning, Washington Fajardo, the deputy mayor of the South Zone, Ana Ribeiro, and members of the Department of Conservation.

– Rescuing our monuments is rescuing the history of our city – stated Anna Laura Secco.

The restoration work on the complex lasted 15 days and involved six people, specialized in works of art and maintenance of hydraulic and electrical equipment. The statue and its entire pedestal were cleaned, as well as the removal of shoots and damaged parts at the base of the sculpture, in addition to the restoration of the electrical control and the water jet pipe.

The fountain is turned on three times a day: from 8am to 10am, from 12pm to 14pm and from 16pm to 18pm.

History of the monument

The sculpture of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is an Italian piece and an important relic of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Created by the Genoese sculptor Giuseppe Navone in 1907, the statue was made of Carrara marble and donated to the city by Dom Jaime Câmara, the fourth archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. It was inaugurated on December 8, 1954, during the celebrations of the centenary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

The fountain around the image was installed in January 1967, during the administration of Mayor Negrão de Lima, in order to beautify the square.