1er REG, 2e REG: 2024 Saint Barbara Day

In early December 2024, the combat engineers of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the French Foreign Legion once again commemorated their patron, Saint Barbara (Sainte Barbe in French).

This year, the commemoration of Saint Barbara took place in Avignon on Friday, December 6, 2024. The legionnaires gathered in front of the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.

During the festivities, various decorations were awarded to different officers and legionnaires, and several NCOs and legionnaires were naturalized. In addition, a platoon of fresh enlisted volunteers earned their képi blanc (white kepi), took the military oath and became new legionnaires.

The festivities were presided by General Youchtchenko, the Foreign Legion’s commander-in-chief. The Foreign Legion Band also participated.

Earlier, to commemorate Saint Barbara, HQ Companies of both regiments conducted a joint march to Mont Ventoux, the highest mountain in the Provence region of southern France.

Officially, the Feast of Saint Barbara is annually celebrated (in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church) on December 4. However, the legionnaires very often have to change the date of the traditional celebrations, because of their service duties.

PHOTOS: 1er REG, 2e REG: 2024 Saint Barbara Day
Click on the FB icon (or the image previews) to see all the photos.

Related posts:
1er REG, 2e REG: 2023 Saint Barbara Day
1er REG, 2e REGs: 40th and 25th Anniversaries
1er REG: 3rd Company in Mayotte in 2024
2e REG: 4th Company in Martinique in 2024