Monuments

The Fonte das Bicas is considered to be the most remarkable civil monument in Borba. Located in the Praça da República, it was built at the initiative of the Municipal Council to mark the royal visit to the town by D. Maria I and D. Pedro III, in 1781.

It was built in keeping with the plan drawn up by the engineer José Álvares de Barros, and the sculptors António Franco Paínho and José Mendes da Silva. Once completed, the fountain was examined and valued at the request of the municipality, in 1785, by the marble-cutters António and Angélico Velez, both of whom were born in Borba.

Made with the use of the white marble originating from Montes Claros, the fountain consists of five spouts and three tanks and is elegantly decorated with high-relief garlands and bows in the Louis XVI style. The structure belongs to the rococo style, but the elegant decoration reveals the neo-classical taste that was beginning to become more common at that time. The fountain´s decoration is further embellished by the busts of the reigning kings and queens, the royal shield and the coat of arms of the town of Borba.