Saint-Tropez was a military stronghold and fishing village until the beginning of the 20th century. It was the first town on its coast to be liberated duringWorld War II as part ofOperation Dragoon. After the war, it became an internationally known seaside resort, renowned principally because of the influx of artists of theFrench New Wave in cinema and theYé-yé movement in music. It later became a resort for the European and Americanjet set and tourists.
Aerial view of Saint-Tropez, with Pampelonne beach in background and the citadel and the port in the foregroundCitadel of Saint-TropezMap of Saint-Tropez (c. 1680)
In 599 BC, thePhocaeans fromIonia founded Massilia (present-dayMarseille) and established other coastal mooring sites in the area. Through the writings of Roman historian and military commanderPliny the Elder, it was found that Saint-Tropez was known in ancient times as Athenopolis and that it belonged to the Massilians.[6] In 31 BC, the Romans invaded the region. Their citizens built many opulent villas in the area, including one known as the "Villa des Platanes" (Villa of thePlane Trees). The closest settlement to Saint-Tropez in antiquity is attested as Heraclea-Caccabaria, todayCavalaire-sur-Mer, situated on the southern end of the peninsula, while the gulf of Saint-Tropez was calledsinus Sambracitanus, which likely survives in the settlement name ofLes Issambres.[7]
The town owes its current name to the early ChristianmartyrSaint Torpes. Legend tells of hisdecapitation atPisa duringNero's reign, with his body placed in a rotten boat along with arooster and adog. The body purportedly landed at the present-day location of the town of Saint-Tropez.[8][9][10]
Toward the end of the ninth century, long after the fall of theRoman Empire in the West, pirates and privateers began a hundred years of attacks and sackings. In the tenth century, the village ofLa Garde-Freinet was founded 15 km (9 mi) to the north of Saint-Tropez. From 890 to 972, Saint-Tropez and its surroundings became an Arab Muslim colony dominated by the nearbySaracenic settlement ofFraxinet;[11][12] in 940, Saint-Tropez was controlled by Nasr ibn Ahmad.[12] From 961 to 963,Adalbert, son ofBerengar, the pretender to the throne of Lombardy who was pursued byOtto I, hid at Saint-Tropez.[12] In 972, the Muslims of Saint-Tropez heldMaïeul, the abbot of Cluny, for ransom.[12]
In 976,William I,Count of Provence, Lord ofGrimaud, began attacking the Muslims, and in 980 he built a tower where the Suffren tower now stands. In 1079 and 1218,Papal bulls mentioned the existence of a manor at Saint-Tropez.
Saint-Tropez "le vieux port" (the old port)
From 1436, CountRené I (the "good King René") tried to repopulate Provence. He created the Barony of Grimaud and appealed to theGenoan Raphael de Garezzio, a wealthy gentleman who had sent a fleet ofcaravels carrying 60 Genoese families to the area. In return, Count René promised to exempt the citizens from taxation. On 14 February 1470,Jean de Cossa, Baron of Grimaud andGrand Seneschal of Provence [fr], agreed that the Genoan could build city walls and two large towers, which still stand: one tower is at the end of the Grand Môle and the other is at the entrance to the Ponche.
The city became a smallrepublic with its own fleet and army and was administered by two consuls and 12 elected councillors. In 1558, the city's captain Honorat Coste was empowered to protect the city. The captain led a militia and mercenaries who successfully resisted attacks by the Turks and Spanish, succoredFréjus andAntibes and helped the Archbishop ofBordeaux regain control of theLérins Islands.
In 1577, the daughter of the Marquis Lord of Castellane, Genevieve de Castilla, married Jean-Baptiste de Suffren, Marquis de Saint-Cannet, Baron deLa Môle, and advisor to the parliament of Provence. The lordship of Saint-Tropez became the prerogative of the De Suffren family. One of the most notable members of this family was the later vice-admiralPierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez (1729–1788), veteran of theWar of the Austrian Succession, theSeven Years' War and theAmerican Revolutionary War.
The local noblemen were responsible for raising an army that repulsed a fleet of Spanish galleons on 15 June 1637;Les Bravades des Espagnols, a local religious and military celebration, commemorates this victory of the Tropezianmilitia.[13] Count René's promise in 1436 to not tax the citizens of Saint-Tropez was honored until 1672, whenLouis XIV abrogated it as he imposed French control.
The Gulf of Saint-Tropez was known as the Gulf ofGrimaud until the end of the 19th century.
During the 1920s, Saint-Tropez attracted famous figures from the fashion world such asCoco Chanel andElsa Schiaparelli. DuringWorld War II, the landing on 15 August 1944 began the Allied invasion of southern France,Operation Dragoon. In the 1950s, Saint-Tropez became internationally renowned as the setting for such films asAnd God Created Woman, which starred French actressBrigitte Bardot.
In May 1965, anAérospatiale Super Frelon pre-production aircraft crashed in the gulf, killing its pilot.
On 4 March 1970, the French submarineEurydice, with its home port as Saint-Tropez, disappeared in the Mediterranean with 57 crew aboard after a mysterious explosion.
The motto of Saint-Tropez isAd usque fidelis,Latin for "faithful to the end". After the Dark Age of plundering the French Riviera, Raphaël de Garesio landed in Saint-Tropez on 14 February 1470, with 22 men, simple peasants or sailors who had left the overcrowded Italian Riviera. They rebuilt and repopulated the area, and in exchange were granted by a representative of the "good king", Jean de Cossa, Baron of Grimaud and Seneschal of Provence, various privileges, including some previously reserved exclusively for lords, such as exemptions from taxes status and the right to bear arms. About ten years later, a great wall with towers stood watch to protect the new houses from sea and land attack; some 60 families formed the new community. On 19 July 1479, the new Home Act was signed, "the rebirth charter of Saint-Tropez".[14]
Saint-Tropez has a hot-summermediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers, although daytime temperatures are somewhat moderated by its coastal position.
Tropezian beaches are located along the coast in the Baie de Pampelonne, which lies south of Saint-Tropez and east ofRamatuelle. Pampelonne offers a collection of beaches along its five-kilometre shore. Each beach is around 30 metres wide with its own beach hut and private or public tanning area.
Many of the beaches offer windsurfing, sailing and canoeing equipment for rent, while others offer motorized water sports, such as power boats, jet bikes, water skiing and scuba diving. Some of the beaches arenaturist beaches. There are also many exclusive beach clubs that are popular among wealthy people from around the world.
Saint-Tropez's Tahiti Beach, which had been popularised in the filmAnd God Created Woman featuringBrigitte Bardot, emerged as a clothing-optional destination,[16] but the mayor of Saint-Tropez ordered police to bantoplessness and to watch over the beach via helicopter.[17] The "clothing fights" between the gendarmerie and nudists become the main topic of a famous French comedy film series,Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez (The Troops of St. Tropez) featuringLouis de Funès. In the end, the nudist side prevailed.[18] Topless sunbathing is now the norm for both men and women fromPampelonne beaches toyachts in the centre of Saint-Tropez port.[19] The Tahiti beach is now clothing-optional, but nudists often head to private nudist beaches, such as that inCap d'Agde.[20]
The port was widely used during the 18th century; in 1789 it was visited by 80 ships. Saint-Tropez'sshipyards builttartanes and three-masted ships that could carry 1,000 to 12,200 barrels. The town was the site of various associated trades, including fishing, cork, wine and wood. The town had a school ofhydrography. In 1860, the flagship of themerchant navy, namedThe Queen of the Angels (La Reine des Anges, a three-masted ship of 740 barrels capacity), was built at Saint-Tropez.
Its role as a commercial port declined, and it is now primarily a tourist spot and a base for many well-known sail regattas. There is fast boat transportation withLes Bateaux Verts toSainte-Maxime on the other side of the bay and toPort Grimaud, Marines de Cogolin,Les Issambres and St-Aygulf.
Les Bravades de Saint-Tropez is an annual celebration held in the middle of May when people of the town celebrate their patron saint,Torpes of Pisa, and their military achievements. One of the oldest traditions ofProvence, it has been held for more than 450 years since the citizens of Saint-Tropez were first given special permission to form a militia to protect the town from theBarbary pirates. During the three-day celebration, the various militias in costumes of the time fire their muskets into the air at traditional stops, march to the sound of bands and parade St. Torpes's bust. The townspeople also attend a mass wearingtraditional Provençal costume.
Each year, at the end of September, a regatta is held in the bay of Saint-Tropez (Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez). Many yachts are entered, some as long as 50 metres. Many tourists come to the location for this event, or as a stop on their trip toCannes,Marseille orNice.
TheTarte tropézienne is a traditional cake invented by aPolish confectioner who had set up shop in Saint-Tropez in the mid-1950s, and made famous by actressBrigitte Bardot.[21]
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The 800-berth port with two marinas hosts boats, including ferries. In the summer season, there is a ferry service between St-Tropez andNice,Sainte-Maxime,Cannes,Saint-Raphaël.[24] Private yachts may also be chartered.
There is no rail station in Saint-Tropez. The nearest station isSaint-Raphaël-Valescure, located inSaint-Raphaël (39 km (24 mi) from Saint-Tropez), which also offers a boat service to Saint-Tropez.[29] There is also direct bus service to Saint-Tropez, and the rail station is connected with bus station.[30][31]
There is a bus station in Saint-Tropez called theGare routière de Saint-Tropez, located in Place Blanqui.[32] It is operated byVar department transport divisionVarlib [fr], which employs other transport companies to operate routes.
There are taxi services, including from Nice airport to Saint-Tropez, but they are expensive because of the long distances and the area's wealth.[31]
In the tourist season, traffic problems may be expected on roads to Saint-Tropez,[33] so the fastest way to travel is by scooter or bike. There is no direct highway to the village. There are three main roads to Saint-Tropez:
Via theA8 (E80) with the sign "Draguignan, Le Muy-Golfe de Saint-Tropez" – RD 25 Sainte-Maxime, 19 km (12 mi) -> on the formerRN 98 – 12 km (7 mi).
A57 with the sign "The Cannet des Maures" -> DR 558, 24 km (15 mi) Grimaud until then by the RD 61 – 9 km (6 mi) through the famous intersection of La Foux.
Near the sea, the formerRN 98 connects to Toulon-La Valette-du-Var, Saint-Raphaël, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, DR 93, called "Beach Road", with destinations to Pampelonne, Ramatuelle and La Croix – Valmer.
There are more than 1,000 students distributed among kindergartens, primary schools and one high school.[41] In 2011, there were 275 students in high school and 51 people employed there, of whom 23 were teachers.[42]
The contemporary artistPhilippe Shangti imagined the design of Le Quai and L'Opera, restaurants located on the port of Saint-Tropez where he also exhibits his art collections. Centered on a specific theme, he always denounces different problems affecting society with provocative artworks.[43]
The most famous persons connected with Saint-Tropez include the semi-legendary martyr who gave his name to the town,Saint Torpes of Pisa;Hasekura Tsunenaga, probably the first Japanese in Europe, who landed in Saint-Tropez in 1615; a hero of theAmerican Revolutionary War, AdmiralPierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez; the icon of modern Saint-Tropez,Brigitte Bardot, who started the clothes-optional revolution and still lives in the Saint-Tropez area;[46]Louis de Funès, who played the character of thegendarme (police officer) in the French comedy film seriesLe Gendarme de Saint-Tropez and also helped establish the international image of Saint-Tropez as both a quiet town and a modern jet-set holiday target.[47]
The English rock bandPink Floyd wrote a song "San Tropez" after the town. Saint-Tropez was also mentioned inDavid Gates's 1978 hit "Took the Last Train",Kraftwerk's "Tour de France",Aerosmith's "Permanent Vacation",Taylor Swift's "The Man", andBeyoncé's "Energy". Rappers includingDiddy,Jay-Z,50 Cent,J. Cole, andPost Malone refer to the city in some of their songs as a favorite vacation destination, usually reached byyacht.DJ Antoine wrote a song "Welcome to St. Tropez". The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles is set in a drag night club in St. Tropez. Furthermore, Bulgarian singerazis wrote a song named "Сен Тропе"(Sen Trope). Also, Romanian singerFlorin Salam wrote the song (Saint Tropez). Saint Tropez was also mentioned in Army of Lovers' song "My Army of Lovers." Their song "La Plage De Saint Tropez" was also dedicated to this town.
^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved5 December 2022.
^Sénac, P. "Contribution a l'étude des incursions Musulmanes dans l'Occident Chrétien: la localisation du Ğabal al-Qilāl"Revue de l'Occident Musulman et de la Méditerranée, 31 (1981) 7–14
^abcdHistory of Islam and Muslims in France. pp. 55–67.
^Williams, Nicola; Le Nevez, Catherine (2007).Provence and the Cote D'Azur. Lonely Planet. p. 343.
^Williams, Zoe; Moorhead, Joanna (23 July 2009)."Should you go topless – or not?".The Guardian. London.Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved21 February 2013.
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![Old gendarmerie station; popular spot for photographs[48] (cf. Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSt._Tropez_-_alte_Gendarmeriestation.jpg)
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