Smoking guns at Bravades de St Tropez 2017
The annual event goes off with a traditional bang
Each year the residents of the town of Saint Tropez come out in force to celebrate the traditional event, Les Bravades de Saint Tropez.
Held for more than 450 years the Bravades harks back to Saint Tropez' glorious military past and their profound devotion to their patron saint. An unusual combination you might think for what has become beach resort, yachting capital and a haven for the rich and famous.
The history of Saint Tropez' patron saint goes all the way back to 65AD. A Christain martyr, Caïus Silvius Torpetius, was originally from Pisa and some say he was a gladiator or a knight who was an attendant of Emperor Nero. Executed for his faith he was beheaded and his body cast away from Pisa in a wooden boat, along with a cock and a dog. That boat is said to have washed ashore in what is now known as the village of Saint Tropez, the body untouched by both the cock and the dog.
In Saint-Tropez, his bust is honoured during the festival of Les Bravades in mid-May and again in mid-June in the festival of Les Bravades des Espagnols, a religious and military celebration commemorating the victory of the Tropezian militia over the Spanish in 1637.
A programme of events is organised throughout May and June and you can find out more about the events and the history on the Bravades de Saint Tropez blog page (in French).
