La fontaine Médicis

The Medicis Fountain was built in about 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and mother of King Louis XIII of France.  Originally it had no statues, and was mounted against a wall.  The fountain went through many owners after Marie's death, and in mid 1800s was finally moved to it's present location in the Jardin du Luxembourg.  Jean Chalgrin, the architect of the Arc de Triomphe, redesigned it with a statue representing Venus at the instruction of Napoleon, but that was eventually taken out and replaced by it's current group of statues representing the giant Polyphemus, in bronze, discovering the lovers Acis and Galatea, in white marble, constructed by Auguste Ottin.  It's amazing and very peaceful in an absolutely beautiful surroundings.