Place Delille

You are standing on one of the oldest squares in the city — Place Delille. This square has been part of city’s life for nearly a thousand years. Back then, it was known as Place Champet, and it was where the Royal Gate stood — the main entrance used by kings when arriving in the city. Some even believe it may have been right here, on Place Delille, that Pope Urban II delivered the speech that launched the First Crusade against the Turks, who at the time had taken control of the Holy Land and were blocking access to Jerusalem. At the center of the square stands a graceful fountain. It used to be home to the Amboise Fountain, which was later replaced in the 19th century by the current, Delille Fountain — named, like the square itself, in honor of Abbé Delille, a poet born in Clermont-Ferrand.