Cours Saint-Pierre et Saint-André, couple of promenades in Nantes, France

Cours Saint-Pierre et Saint-André is a wide walkway in central Nantes that follows the line of an old fortress moat. The two paths are separated by Place Maréchal-Foch and lined with trees, with stairs connecting the different ground levels.

The two promenades were laid out in the 18th century on wasteland outside the city walls, the first public walks of their kind in Nantes. The ground had earlier held the motte Saint-Pierre and motte Saint-André, raised as defensive open ground east of the city, and a "belouard" built between 1478 and 1537 defended the porte Saint-Pierre. The chapter of the cathedral long owned the land: it leased a plot for a ropewalk in 1528 and held four fairs there until they moved to place Viarme in 1760.

The name Saint-André comes from a 5th-century chapel that stood in today's rue Préfet-Bonnefoy, while Saint-Pierre takes the first name of the neighbouring cathedral. The chapter of the cathedral drew income from four fairs held on the two mounds on the days of Saint-Clair, Saint-André, Saint-Marc and Saint-Antoine, with cattle dealers on the Saint-André mound and potters and haberdashers on Saint-Pierre; the fairs moved to Place Viarme in 1760.

The area has different ground levels connected by stairs, making it easy to navigate between the two paths. Several benches are placed along the promenade for resting and observing the surroundings.

Visitors can spot remains of Roman and medieval walls along the path, showing how the city was once fortified. These ruins tell the story of the site as a defensive stronghold and offer insight into earlier periods of the city.