Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founder of the National Front, died on January 7, 2025 at the age of 96. He had been hospitalized several times for heart problems since 2022. His funeral took place on January 11, 2025 in his hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer, in the presence of his family and loved ones. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, current president of the National Rally, expressed regret over her father’s expulsion from the party in 2015, calling the decision one of the most painful of her life. The disappearance of Jean-Marie Le Pen has provoked varied reactions, ranging from tribute from certain political leaders to demonstrations of joy in several French cities, reflecting the controversy which marked his political career. Jean-Marie Le Pen was a major figure in French politics, known for his nationalist positions and controversial statements, notably on immigration and the Holocaust. While he recently died, all eyes are focused on his legacy and on one of his homes, the one located in the heart of La Trinité-sur-Mer, a small Breton town where the maritime past mixes with evolution. tourist, and where he was born in 1928.
This modest building, witness to the early years of the man who would become a major political figure in France, reflects the personal history of the family. The Le Pen home, nestled in the “cross”center of the town in Breton, as our colleagues from Mondeis a typical farmhouse of Breton fishermen. With its twenty meters long on the garden side and its five meter facade on the street side, the house stands out for its simplicity. It has one floor and a few dog-sitting windows, designed to let in light. The garden, more spacious than the house itself, bears witness to the rural lifestyle of the time. When Jean-Marie Le Pen spoke of his youth in these places, he often highlighted the harsh living conditions. When he was born, the house was shared with two other families. The floor was dirt, and modern conveniences such as running water and electricity were lacking. This austerity recalls the realities of pre-war rural France, where neighborhood solidarity and local traditions took precedence. Not far from this house stands the war memorial, where the name of Jean Le Pen, father of Jean-Marie, is engraved.
A village of 1600 inhabitants
A fisherman, he died in 1942 when the net of his trawler caught a mine, a tragic event which forever marked the family. La Trinité-sur-Mer has changed a lot since the childhood years of Jean-Marie Le Pen, then simply called Jean. This village of 1,600 inhabitants in winter becomes a popular destination in summer, attracting vacationers to its beaches and boaters to its port. The old fishing port has given way to a veritable forest of masts, a sign of the town’s economic transition towards tourism. Faced with this evolution, the Le Pen house retains its old character, but has undergone some adaptations. Jean-Marie Le Pen had a surveillance camera installed there, visible on the whitewashed facade, a symbol of the tensions which surrounded his political career. A neighbor remembers with amusement that this facade, once the whitest in the village, had to be repainted frequently because of the tags.
Related News :