from 16/05/2010 to 18/05/2010

La Fête de la Bravade

 Saint-Tropez Tourisme

La Fête de la Bravade in Saint-Tropez is a traditional festival of Provence that has endured through time, even at times of war and famous cultural revolutions that followed the arrival of Brigitte Bardot and other celebrities.

For more than 440 years, the Bravade has represented the attachment that the people of Saint-Tropez feel for their land and, at the same time, their devotion to the city's patron saint, the Pisan martyr Saint Torpè, who arrived here from Pisa, after being beheaded by Nero.

The procession in honor of the saint takes place following a ritual that has remained unchanged through time and that requires several stops, during which hundreds of participants wearing traditional historical costumes pay their respects to the patron saint, whose bust is paraded throughout the entire ceremony.

Among those paying homage to the saint is the Capitane de Ville, whose presence symbolizes the redemption of the community from the city's historic invaders. In the year 1500, Saint-Tropez had earned the title of tax- and duty-free city, yet retaining the right to maintain a fleet under the authority of the Capitane de Ville that proved to be capable of defending the city even from the terrible Spanish galleons.

For three days, the entire historical city center actively participates to this festival, where religious ceremonies, songs, dances and choreographies of Provence join an exciting sound show made of drum rolls, trumpets, springald explosions, and musket shots.

For Information:
Tourist Information Office of Saint-Tropez
BP 218 F-83994 Saint-Tropez Cedex
Tel : +33 0 892 68 48 28 (0.35 euro/min)
Fax : +33 04 94 97 82 66