It is no coincidence that the Church of Saint Pierre is in the heart of Old Bordeaux, on the very site of the original Gallo-Roman port. Bordeaux, a port before being a city, paid tribute to the patron saint port of those that lived from the river, who were the majority of the city's population.
 
In 1832, beneath the Place Saint-Pierre, a magnificent bronze statue of Hercules was discovered, that at the time must have decorated the entrance to the port, at that time situated at the mouth of an tributary river, the Devèze. This fine Hellenistic style sculpture is one of the most beautiful pieces in the Museum of Aquitaine. Thus did St. Pierre usurp Hercules.
 
In the XIIth century, the old port was filled in and most of the quarter built. The quays were moved to the South, to the mouth of another tributary, the Peugue, at the foot of the Palais de l’Ombrière.
 
In the XVIIIth century, The Intendants Boucher and Tourny made major changes. They opened up the quarter by demolishing the mediaeval wall, designed the Place de la Bourse et la rue Royale (rue Fernand Philipart) opened up the place du Marché Royal (place du Parlement), leaving a quarter full of Louis XV residences, decorated with mascarons, sculptures, stone balconies and wrought iron: the finest of French architecture.
 
Public monuments also pay tribute to the city's principal activity, be it the Monument des Girondins, The fontaine Art Nouveau on the place Amédée Larrieu, the monuments to Gaston Lafargue, local writer, or to Alexis Millardet, scientist, in the jardin public.