The Bravade : when the whole Saint Tropez respects the traditions

Since 1558, every 16^th, 17^th and 18^th May, at the Bravade, a religious and military feast, the Tropezians meet to pay homage to Torpes, their Holy Protector. Their love, their fidelity, their faith in the illustrious martyr is manifested in these three days of intense communion. During 3 days, the village is then adorned with red and white, colors of the city, to accommodate a parade set to the millimeter.

In the year 68, Torpes, a brilliant officer born at Pisa, publicly refused before Neron to abjure his Christian faith. The latter had him beheaded, and his body, put in a boat with a cock and a dog, the symbols of the outrage to the Emperor, was thrown upon the Arno.Carried by the currents, the boat arrived on the shore of Tropezien. From the end of the 15^th century, the town of Saint-Tropez was rebuilt, fortified and repopulated.

The Bravade represents the most symbolic manifestation of the attachment of the Tropezians to their Patron Saint. For centuries, on 16 May, members of the Bravade Corps, about 180 men among the Sailors, Musketeers and Garde-Saints unload their muskets and rifles in order to honor the Saint placed on his pedestal before the authorities, religious , Civilian and military. The procession traverses the town and the Port by making stations, to give honors to Saint-Tropez, but also to the former city captains and majors. The bust of the Saint, worn throughout the day, will then be brought back to the church. The Mass of the Musketeers, which is held the next day, is a very moving moment. The body of Bravade, the Provençals in costume, the civil and military authorities and the Tropezians come to testify their fidelity and their faith in their Patron Saint. The bouquets are blessed, each Tropezian family will keep its own placed next to the bust of the Saint, present in most houses. The hymns praising Saint-Tropez are sung by all, the Tropéziens have heard them since their childhood ... In the afternoon during the 'Great Bravado', a little boy, son of Bravadeur, ties a red scarf around his neck Of Saint-Tropez, symbol of the link between the past and the present. The Tropezians have always revered Torpes as a second God.

The Saint-Tropez Bravade, which has been held for more than 450 years on 16, 17 and 18 May, is an exemplary demonstration of the Tropezians' attachment to their glorious military past and their profound devotion to their patron saint.

During these three days, the Tropezians celebrate their Saint, led by the Cepoun (guardian of the traditions of the city) and directed by the Captain of Town. Trombone, powder, procession through the city, masses, constitute the major part of this traditional festival.

The bust Torpès revisited by Jean Louis MAS, artist tropézien: jeanlouismas.com