The most popular market square in the city was occupied during the Middle Ages by the Church of San Miguel de los Octoes, from which it takes its name. Thanks to the preserved documentation, we know that this oratory was one of the ten original Catholic temples mentioned in the Fuero de Madrid of the year 1212 and was attached to the city walls. This church was very popular during the Golden Age as near it was located the market for vegetables and fish, and great personalities of the time were baptized there, such as the famous playwright Lope de Vega. San Miguel de los Octoes was in operation until the beginning of the 19th century when, under the rule of José Bonaparte, its destruction was carried out in order to open up a wide esplanade next to the Plaza Mayor.