It was on this square, in the middle of the Hundred Years War, that Joan of Arc was burned alive on May 30, 1431. The place, as Joan of Arc saw it, did not look like what it is today. The square was smaller and its space was occupied by the Saint-Sauveur church, the Saint-Michel church and by a large market hall. It was also the usual place of executions. A large cross has been erected on the site of the stake.

In the middle of the square, the remains of the old Saint-Sauveur church have been unearthed. It is in this modest parish church that Pierre Corneille was baptized, his birthplace, rue de la Pie, now transformed into a museum located nearby.

Today it is a lively square, around which there are restaurants and bars.