In 1991, Brigitte Bardot, who celebrates his 90th birthday this Saturday, September 28, declared to She: “La Madrague is me. It’s my refuge, my life! With its joys, its laughter, its nostalgia, its sun, its mistral, its fame which has stuck to my skin for 60 years… “ The tone is set: La Madrague and the icon of French cinema are inseparable. Becoming the owner of the residence in 1958 for the price of 24 million old francs, Brigitte Bardot, aged 24 at the time, fell in love with the villa.
Terrace, swimming pool, garden…In his memoirs, Initials BB, Roger Vadim’s ex-wife recounted her first impressions when she discovered the sublime residence for the first time: “I arrived in a tropical paradise. There were reeds, a type of wild reed, cacti of all kinds, mimosas, fig trees and at the end of that, a house buried under a purple bougainvillea, with the sea almost in the living room! I always knew what I wanted! And I wanted it! So I will buy La Madrague…“
Shortly after the acquisition of his house located on the Route des Canebiers, the popularity of the BB legend contributed to making the village of Saint-Tropez known throughout the world, which until then had only been a landmark. confidential of artists, often frequented by personalities such as Colette. La Madrague, which was also the subject of a famous song in 1962, quickly became the scene of festivities where many celebrities stayed there. Her former lover, Gunter Sachs, even poured thousands of rose petals into the villa’s garden from his helicopter.
Without a doubt, this sanctuary makes “for relaxation, where it is good to live in a perpetual summer“, has always had a special place in the heart of the star of the film The Truth. She made La Madrague her refuge but also that of her animals by setting up her foundation there. But that’s not all: La Madrague will be the place where the French icon would like to store his tomb. In an interview given in the world in 2018, Brigitte Bardot spoke about death and in particular the place where she would like to be buried. And for the icon of the 50s, the choice is quickly made. “I chose a small corner near the sea, which was approved by the authorities. I prefer to rest there than in the cemetery of Saint-Tropez, where a crowd of assholes would risk damaging the tomb of my parents and my grandparents. I want them to be left alone.“
The sex symbol also said that after his death, La Madrague will become a museum. “For two or three euros, which will fund the foundation’s coffers, the public will be able to visit my fishermen’s house which will be left in its original state.“, she says. In her book Battle Tearspublished by Editions Plon in 2018, Bernard d’Ormale’s wife explains that the museum would return “not on the glory of Brigitte Bardot“but more about”his human life“and that”of his animals“. “My interior and my way of living will be presented to the eyes of the curious. But for once, the idolatry to which I have been the object during my existence will finally be justified, because it will be for a good cause“, she says in her work cited by The Point.
PHOTOS – Brigitte Bardot: what does the interior of La Madrague, her villa in Saint-Tropez, look like?
A haven of peace turned into a nightmare
By purchasing his very first house, BB finally thought he was sheltered from all eyes. But the latter, who hoped to benefit from the calm and nature of her home which she compares to “the Arc de Triomphe“, quickly became disenchanted. She now finds herself forced to flee her home to avoid the tourists who display the immense villa. Our colleagues at Sunday Journal (JDD) reported that she developed the habit of leaving her house early in the morning to escape the comings and goings of The Ponchoa boat that offers a guided tour of the bay.
Tired of tourists and paparazzi scrutinizing her every move, the actress managed to obtain an exceptional exemption in 1963 to build walls delimiting her plot. And beware of the most curious who would like to bypass the barriers! According to The house newspaperanyone who moves the posts risks six months in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros. “People come to bother me here from January 1st to New Year’s Eve […] It would be perfect if it wasn’t invaded by the public. It’s becoming unbearable”, she declared in the columns of Elle.
In order to find a semblance of serenity, Brigitte Bardot abandoned her hideout, which despite everything remains her first love, for another, slightly more discreet refuge: La Garrigue. Located near Le Capon, his second home would be “one of the most secret corners of Saint-Tropez”. “The place, called ‘La Garrigue’, is located in the middle of a large expanse of land on which there is also a chapel surrounded by the graves of its animals and a farm sheltering collected animals, survivors of slaughterhouses, sinking moments peaceful and not reproducing”, told the journalist Henry-Jean Servat in a report published in Gala. It is now in La Garrigue, where he “there is no computer, no electronic device or even a typewriter”, that BB hopes to find a certain form of tranquility, far from its shellfish and crustaceans…
Photo credits: CHESNOT / SIPA
