The word pignotte refers to small breadrolls given to the poor, and comes from the Italian word 'pagnotta' which means a small piece of bread. The handing out of the bread stopped when the popes left Avignon. In 1632, a shelter for women was founded on the site of the former cemetery. The shelter, known as the "House of the poor repented women of Saint Mary the Egyptian', took in married and unmarried women with scandalous reputations, who were concubine or the source of scandal due to their licentious behaviour. They were given the duty of spinning silk for three years. It is said that many sought to run away. Today, this square retains an Italian atmosphere.
The "Légende dorée", written in Latin (Legenda aurea) in the 13th century by Jacques de Voragine, tells the story (Paleochristian and early Middle Ages) of Mary the Egyptian who was a prostitute las of the age of 12. Upon having a vision of an angel she converted and withdrew to the desert where she encountered the monk Zozime who gave her the sacrament of Holy COmmunion, and buried her in a tomb that a lion dug out with its claws.
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