Les Bravades de Saint-Tropez

‘Les Bravades’ have taken place in Saint-Tropez for years on 16, 17 and 18 May. They are a display of the pride which residents of Saint-Tropez have in their glorious military past and of their deep devotion to their Patron Saint. HISTORY
In 68 AD, Saint Tropez publicly refused to renounce his Christian faith in front of Nero. Nero had him beheaded. His body was then placed in a boat with a cockerel and a dog to symbolise the disrespect which had been shown to the Emperor. The boat was then pushed into the river Arno.
It was carried by the currents to the shores of Saint-Tropez. At the end of the 15th century, the town of Saint-Tropez was rebuilt, fortified and repopulated. The role of the new inhabitants of Saint-Tropez was to defend the town and the surrounding area. They also carried their weapons to celebrate the feast of the Saint, held on 17th May in Saint-Tropez Chapel, located ‘outside the walls’. The tradition of honouring the Saint with arms has continued right up to the present day after these privileges were removed.

PROGRAMME
Over the three days, residents of Saint-Tropez celebrate their Saint, who is carried by the ‘Cepoun’ (the guardians of the town's traditions), led by the ‘Capitaine de Ville’.
‘Tromblonades’, gunpowder, a procession through the city and masses constitute the major part of this traditional festival.