A fountain in the latin quarter of Paris, representing St Michael built in the St Michael Square Place Saint Michel taken while I was on a coach going through Paris. Dragon and other sculptures. The Place Saint-Michel is known as the site of the Fontaine Saint-Michel (St. Michael Fountain), constructed by Gabriel Davioud in 1855-60. Nine major sculptors participated. Originally, the fountain’s central statue was supposed to depict Napoleon Bonaparte, but the original conception came under criticism from opponents of Napoleon III; it was finally decided that the statue would be an image of Saint Michael, the Archangel (Saint Michel in French), with two dragons that spout water into the fountain and figures of the four classical cardinal virtues.