People had been heading to the square in Beirut since the early hours of the morning.
Christian supporters of the late Pierre Gemayel were waving the flag of his Phalange party. But there were also Muslims, waving the red, white and green Lebanese flag.
The people that gathered for the funeral shared Mr Gemayel's political views and those of the anti-Syrian coalition that he belonged to.
Posters had also been put up everywhere showing the face of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and the slogan "Shove your civil war."
People accused Syria of killing Mr Gemayel in an attempt to start another civil conflict in Lebanon.
"We want freedom for our country and we want Syria to stop interfering with our internal issues - that's what we mean by freedom," said one man. "We want the assassinations to stop."
'Little bit of hope'
And then the church bells tolled. Once more it was for a murdered political leader. So many deaths in two years and still the assassins have not been caught.
It was no surprise then that the crowds chanted "God protect you, Saad". They were referring to Saad Hariri, the leader of the anti-Syrian coalition and son of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.
"After what we saw today we have a little bit of hope. If we don't keep up our hope what are we doing here?"
Rafik Hariri's killing last year triggered massive anti-Syrian demonstrations which forced Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
The protests were known as the Uprising for Independence. Washington called it the Cedar Revolution.
Mr Gemayel's allies had called for a massive turnout at the funeral. They got an estimated 800,000 people in a country of some 4 million.
Legislator Mosbah Ahdab explained why it was important for them.
"I think it was important for the people to go down to the street and to have the possibility to say that we are willing to compromise but we are not willing to change the concept of Lebanon that we have," he said.
"Lebanon has always been a pluralistic country, ready to accept all other groups and where the decision is taken in the interests of everyone."
Some women tried to strike a hopeful note. "All the people were united today just for the love of Lebanon," said one.
"It didn't matter if Pierre Gemayel was Christian; there were Muslim, Druze, Christian. There were all kinds of religions here," said another.
"After what we saw today we have a little bit of hope. If we don't keep up our hope what are we doing here?" one woman asked.
'Second uprising'
Inside the Christian Maronite cathedral of St George, the funeral service was sombre, the mood highly charged. All the high profile politicians from the anti-Syrian coalition were there.
The only pro-Syrian politician attending was the Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri. He has been trying to bridge the gap between the two rival camps.
But the Gemayel family had told other allies of Damascus they were not welcome, so they did not come. Neither did the president, Emile Lahoud, a protégé of Syria.
After the service, the late minister's father, Amine Gemayel, called for the president's departure.
"Let us promise ourselves in Lebanon that the second independence uprising started today and will not stop until it is completely realised," he said.
"It will not be realised until genuine change happens - complete change and reform. Our change and reform begin at the top, with the countdown for electing a new president of the republic."
Security was tight at the funeral. There were helicopters flying overhead, soldiers deployed everywhere, police and close security for all the leaders, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries who attended.
Political analyst Amal Saad Ghorayeb of the Carnegie Endowment Middle East Centre warned Lebanon could be entering a period of increased instability.
"There has been instability since the assassination of Hariri in 2005," she said. "That is only bound to increase. You have further political polarisation."
"The only way out of this gridlock is for both sides to agree on a national unity government, which is ultimately what the opposition wants, that would take into account the concerns of both sides.
"Anything short of that is bound to spiral into further political chaos."
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