Torpes of Pisa
| Saint Torpes of Pisa | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Pisa |
| Died | ~65 AD Pisa |
| Venerated in | Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | April 29 |
| Attributes | palm of martyrdom; sword; boat |
| Patronage | sailors; Pisa; Saint-Tropez |
Saint Torpes of Pisa (Torpetius, Tropesius) (French: Saint Torpès, Saint Tropez, Italian: Torpete, Torpes, Torpè, Russian: Апо́стол Трофи́м) (died 65 AD) is venerated as an early Christian martyr. The town of Saint-Tropez, France, is named after him. His legend states that he was martyred during the persecutions of Nero. Most of the accounts about him are considered unreliable. Nothing else is known about his life. He is first mentioned in sources dating from the 9th century.
Elaborations of his legend state that he was a gladiator or knight who was an attendant to the Emperor Nero, or head of the emperor's personal bodyguard. His full name was Caïus Silvius Torpetius and he was a native of Pisa.
Torpes became a Christian after being converted by Saint Paul. He professed his faith during a ceremony in which Nero declared Diana to be the creator of the universe. After Torpes declared himself a Christian, Nero did not want to kill him immediately and instead asked him to renounce his faith. When Torpes refused to do so, Nero had him decapitated. Another variation of the legend states that Torpes left Rome and went to Pisa, but was recognized as a Christian by the local prefect, Satellicus, who had him executed.
Torpes’ head was tossed into the Arno (and was later claimed by Pisa). His body was placed in a rotten boat with a cock and a dog, which had been placed there in order to nourish themselves on the saint's body. The boat floated towards Liguria.
A holy woman named Celerina (Célèrine) had a premonition in a dream of the arrival of the saint's body, and indeed the boat reached the present-day location of Saint-Tropez, where Celerina lived. The boat landed not far from the present-day sailors' cemetery. The body was untouched by both the cock and the dog. The cock flew away towards the village later named Cogolin after it; the dog headed towards the village later named in its honor Grimaud.
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