SAINT-TROPEZ, France, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Crowds gathered in the French Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez on Wednesday for the funeral of Brigitte Bardot, an icon of French cinema who died last month aged 91. Bardot's coffin, covered in mostly orange and yellow flowers, was carried into the town's Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church at the start of the funeral service, which was covered live by French news channels. Inside the church, a black and white picture of Bardot hugging a baby seal was on display, with the words "Merci Brigitte" (Thank you Brigitte). Outside, one man held a placard that read: "The animals thank Brigitte Bardot". Bardot shot to international fame in her early 20s in the film "And God Created Woman", her tousled hair and fierce energy radiating a sexual magnetism that defined liberated femininity in 1950s France. Later, she was a tireless crusader for animal rights while her political sympathies shifted to the far-right National Front. Incendiary remarks on immigration, Islam and homosexuality saw her convicted multiple times for inciting racial hatred. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen was among those attending Wednesday's funeral. Aurore Berge, Macron's minister for equality and a defender of animal rights, was there to represent the government. PRIVATE BURIAL "For me, Brigitte Bardot is France," said singer Mireille Mathieu, 79, who is to sing at the funeral. "She was the most beautiful woman in the world," Mathieu told reporters before walking into the church, praising "that freedom she (Bardot) had, that boldness to say what she thought." After the funeral Bardot is to be buried in strict privacy in a cemetery in the glitzy town where she lived for much of her later life behind high walls, surrounded by a menagerie of cats, dogs and horses. A tribute open to locals and fans will take place later at the Pre des Pecheurs area in the old town quarter called La Ponche, the historic centre of the former fishing village. Known affectionately as B.B. by many in France, Bardot's roles made her not just a sex symbol, but a pop culture icon and a touchstone for changing social attitudes. She became the first celebrity to model for a bust of Marianne, the traditional symbol of the French Republic that adorns French town halls. Bardot found celebrity life isolating and a distraction from life's simple pleasures. She made the last of her films in 1973 and left public life, devoting herself to animal welfare. Bardot had publicly endorsed the National Front's successive leaders, Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine, whom she once referred to as "the Joan of Arc of the 21st century". Bardot told Le Monde in 2018 that she wished to be buried in a quiet corner of her garden. But the Var Prefecture said it never received any request for a private burial, which would have been needed to bury her in her garden. (Writing by Ingrid Melander and Richard Lough; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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