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 ( presumably without his head!!). Sorry this passage is from the official commentary and my guess is that it was his body that arrived!
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.
This year The Bravade in St Tropez is the 15th/16th/17th May and is a sight that is well worth the trip to see.
Mr. L. 26/4/10
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