Place Saint-Sauveur is the oldest square in Caen. It was completely renovated in the 18th century and was spared from the bombings of 1944. On the left is the eponymous Saint-Sauveur church from the 14th to 16th centuries. On the right in the old picture is a bronze statue of the geologist Élie de Beaumont, which was inaugurated in 1876. It was melted down for war purposes under the Vichy regime in 1942. After the Liberation, a stone statue of the writer François de Malherbe was erected on the pedestal. This was removed in 1961 in order to erect a statue of Louis XIV, which is located somewhat more centrally on the square and cannot be seen in the picture here. This originally stood on the Place de la République and replaced the statue removed during the French Revolution at the time of the Restoration.
Today, the square is home to many cafés and on Fridays one of the oldest markets in the city.