Overview

This large square, surrounded by the old cafés of the Saint-Aubin area, has a small-town atmosphere. The central fountain is one of the many designed by Urbain Vitry; it dates from 1832 and commemorates one of the battles of the Italian wars. The tall column is topped by an allegorical statue of Fame, and four water-spitting griffins. Read Napoleons' quotation on the pedestal: "My mind was at rest, the thirty-second column was there". The massive building at the far end of the square used to be a grain market (Halle aux Grains) connected to the Saint-Sauveur port behind it; it is now a concert hall.