Place Delille

The place Delille, in Clermont-Ferrand

The place Delille is one of the oldest squares of Clermont-Ferrand, centre of Clermont life for nearly a millennium. The Clermont-Ferrand audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this square laden with history, formerly called place Champet, where the Royal gate opened and where perhaps was held the speech of Pope Urban II calling for the first crusade in 1095.

History

The place Delille counts among the oldest of the city and constitutes a centre of Clermont life for nearly a thousand years. It was formerly called the place Champet and sheltered the Royal gate, so named because it was by there that the kings entered. From the year 1095, it already figured among the most important places of the city: some even wonder if it is not here that Pope Urban II pronounced his famous speech calling for the first crusade, in order to reopen the road to Jerusalem then closed. The square bears in its centre a fine fountain: formerly stood there the Amboise fountain, that was replaced in the nineteenth century by the Delille fountain. This one pays tribute, like the square, to the abbé Delille, a poet born in Clermont-Ferrand. Located at the foot of the central plateau, not far from the basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port, the place Delille remains today a lively crossroads of the city centre.

What to see

Here you discover one of the oldest squares of Clermont-Ferrand, centre of local life for nearly a millennium; formerly place Champet, endowed with the Royal gate, it is perhaps the place of Urban II's speech of 1095, and is today adorned with the Delille fountain, tribute to the Clermont poet. The place Delille is a historic and lively crossroads of the city. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The place Delille lies at the foot of the central plateau of Clermont-Ferrand, north-east of the centre, not far from the basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port, reachable on foot. It is a square in free access, lined with shops, that you discover during a walk in the centre.

What is the history of the place Delille in Clermont-Ferrand?

It is one of the oldest squares of the city, centre of Clermont life for nearly a millennium; formerly called place Champet, it sheltered the Royal gate by which the kings entered, and from 1095 figured among the major places of the city, perhaps even the place of Urban II's speech calling for the first crusade; it is today adorned with the Delille fountain, tribute to the Clermont poet.

Where is the place Delille in Clermont-Ferrand?

At the foot of the central plateau of Clermont-Ferrand, not far from the basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port, in France.