Until the 17th century, Paris had only three small islands, separated by a marshy arm of the Seine. At the end of the 16th century, the king decided to fill in this branch of the river and join the islands. It was at the Place Dauphine that Jacques de Molay, Great Master of the Templars, was burnt in 1314. In 1607, the land was sold by Henri IV to the President of the parliament of Paris, de Harlay, to build a triangular square. Created in honor of the future Louis XIII, the dauphin Louis, it was the second geometric royal square built in the 17th century after the Place des Vosges. But unlike the Place Des Vosges, the property owners have not had to respect the uniformity of the construction of the 32 houses. Today only a few houses (for example No. 14) have preserved their original aspect: facade in brick and white stone, slate tile roof, arcade ground floor, and two stories. In the 17th century the square was completely closed and it could only be accessed through two passages. Only one of these passages still exists, it is on the side of the Pont Neuf. In 1874 the architect Le Duc demolished the houses that closed the square on the east side so that the facade of the Palais de Justice, which he had just built, could be admired