A market town since medieval times, Besse en Chandesse asserted its role as a stopover, relay, market and fair city during the 15th century. Peasants came to trade skins and cheeses from the Auvergne mountains for cereals, fruits and wines coming from the valleys and plains. Trade mostly took place on the two main squares of Besse: Place Centrale (now Place du Docteur Alfred Pipet), then dedicated to the sale and purchase of wheat imported from the plains of Champeix, Issoire, etc., and Place au Blanc (today Place de la Gayme) reserved for the Saint-Nectaire cheese market (photo).