The Decadary CultR.R. Palmer, ''The Improvement of Humanity: Education and the French Revolution'', Princeton University Press, 2017, pp. 192-195 or Tenth-day Cult (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ) was a semi-official religion of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

period of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, intended to offer a non-

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

alternative after the

dechristianisation The dechristianization of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Conc ...

of the country. It replaced the Christian

Sunday worship The Lord's Day in Christianity is generally Sunday, the principal day of communal worship. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said in the canonical Gospels to have been witnessed al ...

with a quasi-religious festival on the day of rest in the 10-day week of the French Republican Calendar.Eric Voegelin, ''From Enlightenment to Revolution'', Duke University Press, 1982, p. 172Andrew J. S. Jainchill, ''Reimagining Politics After the Terror: The Republican Origins of French Liberalism''. Cornell University Press, 2008, pp. 84-88. The Decadary Cult was a system of worship based on festivals, so-called , which were celebrated every , the day of rest in the 10-day week of the Republican calendar. In addition, there was a cycle of annual festivals, celebrating various themes such as youth, old age, the foundation of the French Republic and the execution of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. The festivals included the singing of patriotic songs, banquets, games, and the presentation of awards. The festivals were highly politicised, patriotic events, intended to promote Republican norms and values among the populace.

History

The French revolutionary period saw a number of attempts to establish a quasi-official civil religion, despite the formal separation of state and religion enshrined in the 1795

Constitution of the Year III The Constitution of the Year III (french: Constitution de l’an III) was the constitution of the French First Republic that established the Executive Directory. Adopted by the convention on 5 Fructidor Year III (22 August 1795) and approved ...

. These included

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

Cult of the Supreme Being The Cult of the Supreme Being (french: Culte de l'Être suprême) was a form of deism established in France by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. It was intended to become the state religion of the new French Republic and a re ...

, the

Cult of Reason The Cult of Reason (french: Culte de la Raison) was France's first established state-sponsored atheistic religion, intended as a replacement for Roman Catholicism during the French Revolution. After holding sway for barely a year, in 1794 it ...

and, during the later post- Terror period, the Decadary Cult and

Theophilanthropy The Theophilanthropists ("Friends of God and Man") were a Deistic sect, formed in France during the later part of the French Revolution. Origins Thomas Paine, together with other disciples of Rousseau and Robespierre, set up a new religion, in w ...

. The rose to popularity after the adoption of the Republican Calendar in October 1793. Jean-Baptiste Matthieu, a member of the Committee on Public Instruction, presented draft legislation which called for local celebrations throughout France on all 36 of the year. Robespierre enthusiastically adopted Matthieu's plan and led a grand festival devoted to his

deistic Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that empirical reason and observation of t ...

on 8 June 1794, the of 20 Prairial of the Year II. The Decadary Cult was officially established by the laws of 17 Thermidor (4 August 1798), 3 Fructidor (20 August) and 23 Fructidor (9 September), and by decree of

François de Neufchâteau François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

on 20 Fructidor (6 September 1798). However, it soon became overtaken by

, a deistic sect promoted by

Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux (24 August 1753 – 24 March 1824) was a deputy to the National Convention during the French Revolution. He later served as a prominent leader of the French Directory. Life He was born at Montaigu (Vend� ...

which quickly gained popularity following the

Coup of 18 Fructidor The Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V (4 September 1797 in the French Republican Calendar), was a seizure of power in France by members of the Directory, the government of the French First Republic, with support from the French military. The coup wa ...

in 1797. After the

Coup of 30 Prairial VII The Coup of 30 Prairial Year VII (''Coup d'État du 30 prairial an VII''), also known as the Revenge of the Councils (''revanche des conseils'') was a bloodless coup in France that occurred on 18 June 1799—30 Prairial Year VII by the French Re ...

and De La Révellière's resignation from the Directory in 1799, Theophilanthropy fell from favour and there was a return to the original form of the Decadary Cult.

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's ascent to power with the

Coup of 18 Brumaire The Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and led to the Coronation of Napoleon as Emperor. This bloodless ''coup d'état'' overt ...

and establishment of the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

in 1799 effectively ended the Decadary Cult, as Napoleon moved to re-establish the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the years following, leading to the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation b ...

. A decree on 7 Thermidor of the Year VIII (26 July 1800) ended the cult for French citizens; only government officials were still required to attend these events. The temples of the cult were deserted, and only two national holidays continued to be observed: 14 July (

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

) and 1 Vendemiaire (

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

in the Republican calendar). However, these were no longer used to promote Republican values.Albert Mathiez

Paris: Félix Alcan, 1904

n French N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

/ref> Napoleon abolished the Republican calendar in 1805.

References

{{reflist Religion and the French Revolution Anti-Catholicism in France French Republican calendar