Place des Lices also known as Place Carnot is a nineteenth century public square in the city of

Saint-Tropez , INSEE = 83119 , postal code = 83990 , image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg , image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Location

Place des Lices is located south of the Saint-Tropez's

Vieux Port Vieux may refer to: Places *Vieux, Calvados, in the Calvados department, France * Vieux, Tarn, in the Tarn department, France * Vieux-Bourg, in the Calvados department, France * Vieux-Fumé, in the Calvados department, France * Vieux-Pont-en-Auge ...

at the convergence of Avenue Foch and Boulevard Vasserot.

History

The area of Place des Lices dates back to the ninth and tenth century when the field was likely used as a

jousting Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament (medieval), tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying t ...

ground as the original meaning of ''Lices'' was "jousting ground". By the early 1800s, the field was converted into a city square when twelve

plane trees ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except f ...

were planted. Between 1890 and 1940, Places des Lices became a popular gathering space for

French artists French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

particularly at the square's Café des Arts.

Description

Place des Lices is lined with rows of hundred year old plane trees on the square's white sandy ground. The edges of the square is lined with rows of cafés. The square also houses an eighteen century fountain.

Activities

Each Tuesday and Saturday, Place des Lices hosts a Provençal market. Locals at Place des Lices often play the

boules ''Boules'' () is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce (In French: jeu or jeux, in Croatian: boćanje and in Italian: gioco or giochi) in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls (called in France, ...

game

pétanque Pétanque (, ; oc, petanca, , also or ) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling. In all of these sports, players or teams play their boules/balls ...

. The square also hosts pétanque tournaments during summer.

Cultural depictions

Art

Several artists including

Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the Pointillist style. Biography Paul Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863. H ...

Joseph Kutter Joseph Jean Ferdinand Kutter (1894–1941) is considered one of Luxembourg's most important painters. He was greatly influenced by the Impressionists but developed his own distinctive Expressionist style. Early life Kutter was born on 12 Decemb ...

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

, and

Charles Camoin Charles Camoin (; 23 September 1879 – 20 May 1965) was a French expressionist landscape painter associated with the Fauves. ''Les Fauves: A Sourcebook'', by Russell T. Clement, p. 2, web: -->&lpg=PA2 Google Books Born in Marseille, Franc ...

have painted works depicting Places des Lices.

Television

Place des Lices appeared on the fourth episode of ''

The Amazing Race 30 ''The Amazing Race 30'' is the thirtieth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS on January 3, 2018, and the two-hour ...

'' (2018) as the site of a Head-to-Head competition of pétanque and the leg's

Pit Stop In motorsports, a pit stop is a pause for refuelling, new tyres, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, as a penalty, or any combination of the above. These stops occur in an area called the pits, most commonly accessed via a pit la ...

Gallery

File:Place des Lices Paul Signac.jpg, ''Place des Lices, St. Tropez'' by

, 1893 File:Paul signac, place des lices, st. tropez, 1893.jpg, ''Place des Lices, St. Tropez'' at the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbur ...

File:Paul signac saint-tropez fontaine des lices.jpg, ''Saint-Tropez, Fontaine des Lices'' by

, 1895 File:Saint-Tropez, la place des Lices, Joseph Kutter.jpg, ''Saint-Tropez, Place des Lices'' by

, 1930 File:Una piazza - panoramio.jpg, Place des Lices Fountain File:Park w Saint-Tropez.JPG, Place des Lices at Night File:StTropezBoule.jpg, Boules Players in Place des Lices

References

{{Portal bar, France French Riviera Tourist attractions in Var (department)