About this place
Place Saint-François is one of the most characterful squares in the old town, named for a convent of Franciscan monks that stood here from the thirteenth century until the French Revolution. Every morning from Tuesday to Sunday its center fills with the famous fish market, where stalls of glistening Mediterranean catch surround a small dolphin fountain sculpted in 1938 by the Nicois artist François Aragon. Rising above the rooftops is the Tour Saint-François, a forty two meter bell tower that once belonged to the monks' church. Overlooking the square is the former Palais Communal, the Baroque town hall first built in 1574, a reminder that this humble market square was long the center of civic power in Nice.
Key facts
- 1574 year — The former town hall, the Palais Communal, was built on the square
- 1938 year — The dolphin fountain at the square's center was sculpted by François Aragon
- 42 meters — The Tour Saint-François belfry rises above the morning fish market
📍 Place Saint-François 4, 06300, Nice