This unusual 12th-century font in the Basilica of Our Lady of Orcival is carved from local volcanic stone and forms part of a long tradition of sacred water use at the site. The basilica itself stands above the remains of a 6th-century church, which in turn was constructed over a natural spring associated with pre-Christian ritual activity in the region. The medieval builders incorporated the flowing water deliberately into the new Romanesque liturgical arrangement, transforming an older sacred source into a Christian baptismal structure.

The surviving font consists of two superimposed basins, each carved with the thick-walled, heavy profiles characteristic of Auvergne Romanesque stonework. At the top is a small, roughly squared receiving bowl fed by a carved stone spout set into the wall. Beneath it stands a larger, deep baptismal basin with a flattened rim and rounded body, its dark, porous trachyte typical of local construction. Water from the spring once flowed continuously from the upper spout into the lower vessel, creating a symbolic and physical link between the natural source and the sacrament of baptism.

The arrangement is architecturally simple but theologically rich: it embodies the medieval Christian practice of appropriating and sanctifying pre-existing holy wells, integrating the living spring into the ritual of rebirth. The use of dim, cave-like lighting in the font chamber—still evident today—further emphasises the archaic character of this unique feature.

This font is one of the most distinctive baptismal installations in Auvergne, and a rare intact example of the Christianisation of a spring within a Romanesque basilica.