Joshua Bennett
France has long been considered the Eldest Daughter of the Church, with Catholicism recognised as the majority religion of the French and the official religion of the French state for over a millennium. However, the French Revolution stripped the Catholic Church of its wealth, power, and influence, and the 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State further emphasised state secularism. Despite this, France still has approximately 45,000 Catholic churches, and about three-fifths of the French population belong to the Roman Catholic Church, although only a minority regularly participate in religious worship.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official religion of the French state | Catholicism |
| Current predominant religion | Secularism |
| Percentage of atheists | 30% |
| Number of Catholic churches | 42,000+ |
| Number of chapels | 45,000 |
| Percentage of French people belonging to the Roman Catholic Church | 60% |
| Percentage of French Muslims | 7.5% |
| Percentage of French Jews | 1% |
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What You'll Learn
The French Revolution and the Catholic Church
In 1789, the year the French Revolution broke out, Catholicism was the official religion of the French state. The French Catholic Church, known as the Gallican Church, recognised the authority of the pope as head of the Roman Catholic Church but had negotiated certain liberties that privileged the authority of the French monarch. This gave the church a distinct national identity characterised by considerable autonomy.
France’s population of 28 million was almost entirely Catholic, with full membership of the state denied to Protestant and Jewish minorities. Being French effectively meant being Catholic. The Catholic Church was the largest landowner in the country, controlling vast properties and collecting massive revenues from tenants through compulsory tithes. The Church also had a monopoly on education and hospitals in most parts of the country, and it kept the registry of births, deaths, and marriages.
The French Revolution opened the way for a new approach to the Church. On 4 August 1789, the clergy agreed to give up the tithe and allow the state to take over its funding. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, adopted on 26 August, made no recognition of the special position of the Catholic Church. With all authority now located within the nation, the Church was vulnerable to further reform.
The revolutionary governing bodies were particularly determined to destroy every vestige of the Roman Catholic Church because of its close ties to the monarchy. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed on 12 July 1790, subordinated the Catholic Church in France to the French government. It decreed that all bishops and priests were to be selected by the people and paid by the state, with the pope having no say in the matter. Clerics also had to swear an oath of loyalty to the French Constitution. Dissidents had to resign their ministries and were prosecuted as criminals. Lay Catholics loyal to the pope were treated as rebels and traitors.
The French population gradually split between those who supported the ‘Constitutional Church’ and those who remained loyal to refractory priests. The revolutionary authorities suppressed the Church, abolished the Catholic monarchy, nationalised Church property, exiled 30,000 priests, and killed hundreds more. In October 1793, the Christian calendar was replaced with one reckoned from the date of the Revolution, and new forms of moral religion emerged. To further de-Christianise France, a new civil religion – patriotism – was introduced. Catholic holy days were replaced with national holidays and civic days of worship.
The French Revolution stripped the Catholic Church of most of its wealth, power, and influence. However, Napoleon Bonaparte negotiated a reconciliation with the Church through the 1801 Concordat, whereby the state would subsidise Catholicism, recognised as the majority religion of the French.
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Catholicism in modern France
France has long been considered a Catholic country, with Catholicism recognised as the majority religion of the French and the official religion of the French state for over a millennium. However, the French Revolution of 1789 stripped the Catholic Church of most of its wealth, power, and influence. The 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State further emphasised state secularism, removing the privileged status of the Catholic Church and establishing state neutrality with respect to religious doctrine.
Despite this, Catholicism continues to play a significant role in modern France. Approximately three-fifths of the French population belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and notable churches such as Notre Dame de Paris, Chartres Cathedral, and Reims Cathedral remain important pilgrimage sites. The Society of Saint Pius X, a traditionalist Catholic group, also has a large presence in the country. In recent decades, France has emerged as a stronghold for the small but growing Traditionalist Catholic movement.
However, it is important to note that only a minority of Catholics in France regularly participate in religious worship, with secularism and convenience gaining traction, especially among the working classes and younger generations. Self-declared atheists represent 30% of the French population, and France is among the top five most atheist countries globally. The country's Muslim population, one of the largest in Europe, has also faced challenges in being accepted as full co-citizens, with a perception that Islam is incompatible with French values.
The relationship between Catholicism and secularism in France is complex and often paradoxical. As sociologist Jean-Paul Willaime noted, "France can be defined either as a Catholic country with a secular culture or a secular country with a Catholic culture." The country's strong Catholic history and the presence of devout Catholic communities coexist with a staunchly secular Republican government and a significant atheist population.
In summary, while France has a long history of Catholicism and it continues to influence the country's culture and society, modern France is characterised by a complex interplay between religious tradition and secularism, with a growing diversity of religious and non-religious identities shaping the nation's future.
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The separation of Church and State
France has long been considered a Catholic country, with Catholicism recognised as the majority religion of the French and the official religion of the French state for over a millennium. However, the French Revolution of 1789 stripped the Catholic Church of most of its wealth, power, and influence, and the country has since become well-known for its staunchly secular Republicanism.
The French Revolution opened the way for a new approach to the role of the Church in France. On 4 August 1789, the clergy agreed to give up the tithe and allow the state to take over its funding. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, adopted on 26 August, made no recognition of the special position of the Catholic Church, leaving it open and vulnerable to further reform. This wave of reforms ended the close ties between the French monarchy and the Roman papacy, which had earned France the title of "the eldest daughter of the Church".
In the 19th century, anti-clericalism was popular among Republicans, Radicals, and Socialists, as the Church had supported the counterrevolutionaries throughout the century. The Republicans voted for Jules Ferry's 1880 laws on free education (1881) and mandatory and secular education (1882), which Catholics felt was a gross violation of their rights. Napoleon III, however, strongly supported Catholic interests, financing the church and supporting Catholic missionaries in the emerging French Empire.
The 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State removed the privileged status of the Catholic Church and three other state-recognised religions (Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Judaism). This law established state secularism in France, leading to the closure of most Church-run schools. Since the Fifth Republic, most Catholics in France have supported the Gaullist and Centrist Christian democratic parties.
Despite the country's secularism, France still has approximately 45,000 Catholic churches, chapels, and cathedrals spread out among 36,500 cities, towns, and villages. While a majority of these are no longer regularly used for Mass, notable churches and cathedrals include Notre Dame de Paris, Chartres Cathedral, Dijon Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, and Strasbourg Cathedral. France's national shrine, Lourdes, is visited by 5 million pilgrims yearly, and the capital city of Paris is also a major pilgrimage site for Catholics.
In recent decades, France has emerged as a stronghold for the small but growing Traditionalist Catholic movement, along with the United States, England, and other English-speaking countries. While recruitment of priests has become more difficult, the Church is very progressive and ecumenical, and those who practice Catholicism are serious about their faith and well-educated.
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The French Muslim population
France has a long history as a Catholic country, and the Catholic Church was the official state religion for over a millennium. However, the French Revolution of 1789 stripped the Church of its wealth and power, and the country has since become a secular state, with freedom of religion for all.
Islam has a long history in France, with the Great Mosque of Paris built as early as 1922. Muslim immigration, mostly from former French colonies in North Africa, was high in the 1960s and 1970s. According to the national statistics bureau, Insee, Muslims represented 10% of the French population in 2019-2020. A report from the French Institute of Statistics in 2024 found that 76% of Muslims in France believe that religion is very important, and the use of the veil by Muslim women has increased by 55% from 2009 to 2020.
According to Michèle Tribalat, a researcher at INED, people of Maghrebi origin in France (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia) represent 82% of the Muslim population. Immigrants from traditionally Muslim countries are more engaged in religion, and a study in 2008 found that 39% pray five times a day, 23% attend mosque on Fridays, 70% observe the fast of Ramadan, and 66% abstain from alcohol. Franck Fregosi, an expert on the subject, notes that fasting during Ramadan is a sign of Muslim identity and belonging to a community, and that not drinking alcohol "seems to be more a cultural behavior".
The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) recognizes two main organizations: the "Federation of the French Muslims" (Fédération des musulmans de France), with a majority of Moroccan leaders, and the "Union of Islamic Organisations of France" (Union des organisations islamiques de France), with a majority of Algerian leaders.
While Europe's Muslim population is expected to grow, it is impossible to predict future migration levels with certainty. However, even under a "zero migration" scenario, the Muslim population of Europe is still projected to rise from 4.9% to 7.4% by 2050 due to the younger age and higher fertility rates of Muslims compared to other Europeans.
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Catholic places of worship in France
France has a rich Catholic history, which is reflected in the many Catholic places of worship and shrines spread across the country. There are approximately 45,000 Catholic churches and chapels in France, with notable ones in Paris, Chartres, Dijon, Reims, Strasbourg, Amiens, and more. These include the famous Notre Dame de Paris, the Chartres Cathedral, the Dijon Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, and many others. The capital city of Paris is a major pilgrimage site for Catholics, as is the national shrine of Lourdes, which attracts 5 million pilgrims every year.
The French Revolution of 1789, which saw Catholicism lose its status as the official religion, was a significant event in the history of Catholicism in France. The Revolution brought about a wave of anti-clericalism and targeted destruction of the Church and its property, leading to the closure of churches and suppression of religious worship. The Church's wealth, power, and influence were greatly reduced, and many priests and nuns were arrested, tried, and even guillotined. However, the Revolution also sparked a religious revival, particularly among women, as religious worship went underground.
In the 19th century, Catholicism in France was marked by devotionalism in rural areas and the emergence of anti-clericalism among Republicans, Radicals, and Socialists. The 1880s Jules Ferry laws on free and mandatory secular education were opposed by Catholics, but the 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State established state secularism and protected religious freedom. While this law removed the privileged status of Catholicism as the state religion, it also ensured that the churches and religious buildings that were in use before 1905 could continue to be used by religious organisations without fee.
Today, France is seeing a resurgence of traditionalist Catholicism, with a growing number of young Catholics embracing this movement. The country remains a popular destination for Catholic travellers and pilgrims, offering a wealth of Catholic places of worship and historical sites to explore.
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Frequently asked questions
France has long been considered a Catholic country, historically, culturally, and traditionally. However, in modern times, it is a secular nation with a strong separation of church and state.
The French Revolution of 1789 stripped the Catholic Church of its wealth, power, and influence. The 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State further emphasised this divide, removing the privileged status of the Catholic Church as the state religion.
While France is predominantly Catholic, with approximately three-fifths of the population belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, only a minority regularly participate in religious worship. The country also has a large Muslim population, with an estimated 5 million Muslims living in France.
France is a secular country, with a significant proportion of the population being non-religious. Self-declared atheists represent 30% of the population, and many French people hold secular beliefs and values.
While France has a strong Catholic history and culture, secularism is growing. Recruitment of priests has become more difficult, and the country is facing a wave of religious diversity with a growing Muslim population.
