Bernadette Chirac, who stood by her late husband during 12 years as first lady, but also forged her own more discreet political career, died on June 5 at the age of 93.
Guests at the ceremony at the Sainte-Clotilde Basilica in Paris included current French first lady Brigitte Macron, two former presidents -- Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande -- as well as Sarkozy's wife, the model and singer Carla Bruni.
French billionaire Bernard Arnault and the actress Line Renaud, 97, were also in attendance.
READ ALSO: Bernadette Chirac, France's dedicated and discreet first lady
Bernadette Chirac's only grandson, Martin Rey-Chirac, praised her "inexhaustible energy" as he spoke at the neo-Gothic church.
"The mission that drove her never wavered: to stand by the most vulnerable, to make hospitals more humane for children and old age less lonely for our elderly," said the 30-year-old, the only speaker at the ceremony.
He said that for decades, Jacques and Bernadette "created a theatrical performance of rare sophistication and irresistible charm, in which humour, unexpected twists, and role-playing always managed to withstand adversity and hardship."
The basilica is a symbolic place for Bernadette Chirac and her husband. The couple were married in the nearby Sainte-Clotilde Chapel, where the funeral of their eldest daughter Laurence was also held in 2016.
Jacques Chirac died in 2019.
On the forecourt, where a sound system had been set up, a small crowd gathered around the barriers to follow the service.
As she left the ceremony, Brigitte Macron told journalists that she fondly remembered the last time she saw Bernadette Chirac, on May 1.
"She has a strength that she passes on to me every time," Brigitte Macron said.
Bernadette Chirac was a patron of several charities but also carved out her own political career as a long-time elected councillor for the couple's rural home department of Correze.
She also served as a member of the municipal council of the small village of Sarran.
Correze will pay its own tribute on Sunday.
She was buried in the family plot at Montparnasse cemetery in the south of Paris.
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