There are three elements connected in the street fountains of Venice. The “flying lion” symbolizes St Mark and his Gospel, which begins with the words about the voice of John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of Jesus and baptizing with water and words that were "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." These words have been likened to the roar of a lion, symbolizing strength and authority and his version of the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The sacredness of the baptism with water next to John the Baptist's words, narrated by St. Mark in his Gospel, makes every water fountain in Venice an urban and religious place.
St. Mark, water, and the lion are the three-in-one symbols of Venice, and the hundred drinking water fountains embody the memory of Venice through water.