France is a country of free religion. The most popular religions here are Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism. According to a survey conducted in 2010, 27% of French people believe that God exists, 33% said that they allow some kind of energy or higher mind, and 40% said they did not believe in God or in human soul, not in energy. In this regard, France can be considered one of the most non-religious states. But culture and faith in this country are closely interconnected. So which religion is predominant in France and why are there others? We will talk about this in this article.
Historical review
In the last millennium, France remained one of those European countries where the religion of Catholicism was considered fundamental. From the time of Charlemagne to the advent of Protestantism in the 16th century, this state was one of the most powerful on the continent, where Catholicism, with the exception of traditional forms, was the only direction of Christianity. The Catholic faith was firmly established in France, while in other parts of Europe, including England, Switzerland, the historical Netherlands, most of Germany and Scandinavia, various forms of Protestantism prevailed.
After the revolution of 1798, the religion of France was taken under state control in order to restrain revolutionary sentiments. Monastic communities ceased to exist. But in 1801, Napoleon signed an agreement with the Vatican, thanks to which the position of the church was restored.
Religion in France in the 19th Century
For most of this century, the country in question has been officially considered a Catholic state. But in 1905, a large-scale event happened, thanks to which religion in France at the beginning of the 19th century underwent significant changes - there was a separation of the state from the church. Since then, even though Catholicism has not ceased to be the predominant religion in this country, the Catholic Church, according to the Constitution, has become just one of many other religious organizations. The newly formed secular state gave its citizens the right to choose religion. And today, in this country, Catholicism coexists freely with Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and third-party cults.
Religion today
The main religion of France is Catholicism. But today, despite the fact that this religion in the secular state still has more supporters than any other, the time when most Frenchmen considered themselves Catholics has passed. Less than half of the population today calls itself such. A 2011 survey showed that 45% of French people consider themselves Christians, most of whom are Catholic. At the same time, 35% do not consider themselves to be a single religion, while 3% profess Islam.
The number of church parishioners, according to a public survey, is one of the lowest in the world. In fact, this is only 5% of the population, and only 10% of those who consider themselves Catholics today attend church services. But, despite this, the culture of France still remains largely Catholic, which was emphasized in his speeches by the previous head of state Sarkozy.
Is secularism the cornerstone of a state?
Secularism is today considered the “cornerstone” of France’s state self-determination. Compared with Great Britain or the USA, the significance of religion in the life of the society of the state in question is very insignificant. In Great Britain and the USA, politicians often organize meetings with religious leaders, take pictures with them at official receptions, and many important national events and events are preceded by religious ceremonies. But in France, things are different. The public figures of this secular state, even if they call themselves Christians (which is becoming less and less popular among members of the government at present), try for various reasons to hide their religious life from prying eyes.
Special Territory - Alsace Province
In the provinces of Alsace and the Moselle, relations between the state and the church are different than throughout France, despite the established unity of the republics. Here priests receive state salaries, and religious education in public schools and colleges is compulsory. The University of Strasbourg has a theological faculty, the only one in a state university in France.
Protestantism
Protestantism, another religion of France, has its own history. In the Middle Ages, before the term appeared, many residents of southwestern France abandoned Catholicism and switched to a heretical type of Christianity, known as Catharism. Protestant faith was adopted in many regions of the country during the reformation. This religion, although not encouraged, was not prohibited. In 1598, King Henry IV, a former follower of Protestantism, forced to convert to Catholicism to become the monarch of France, signed the Edict of Nantes. According to this document, Calvinists, known as the Huguenots, were guaranteed freedom of religion and conscience. Many areas of France, especially in the southeast, then converted to Protestantism, and cities such as La Rochelle became the main strongholds of this religion in the country, officially considered Catholic.
The Decline and Revival of Protestantism
But in 1685, the edict was abolished by Louis XIV, which entailed the mass emigration of Protestants from France. Religion in France in the 17th century was in some turmoil. According to existing data, about half a million followers of this teaching then left the country and settled in Great Britain, North America, Switzerland and the historical Netherlands. Protestantism as a religion in France in the 18th century after the death of King Louis XIV began to slowly revive in some territories. And at the end of the French Revolution, he was officially recognized as one of the many existing forms of worship. Today, Protestantism exists in places throughout the country, but most of the followers of this religious movement can be found in the provinces of Alsace and Northern Franche-Comté in eastern France, as well as in the Cévennes in the south of the country.
Islam
Another religion of France is Islam. There are no exact figures, but, according to a rough estimate, from 6 to 7 million people, that is, about 8% of the population, are Muslims. A third of them, just over two million, observe religious rituals. For comparison: 10 million practicing Catholics live in the country. Most Muslims in France come from North Africa, that is, descendants of those who once lived in its former colonies - Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
According to a study by sociologist Samir El-Amgar, from 12 to 15 thousand Salafis, or radical Muslims, live in France, but only a small part of them share the views of the so-called Islamists. Since 2000, mosques began to be built intensively in the country, and now there are more than 2000. They are mostly made in a very restrained style. As for education, there are 30 Muslim, 282 Jewish, and 8485 Catholic schools in France.
The relationship of culture and religion
The culture and religion of France has always been closely intertwined. The art of this country was greatly influenced by Christian and Catholic traditions. In medieval France, the greatest architectural structures were not castles and palaces, but great cathedrals, and sometimes small churches. The best artists and artisans worked on the creation of frescoes, nadaltarnye decorations, stained glass windows, carved sophisticated sculptures designed for interior and exterior decoration of churches. In literature you can often find a mention of Christianity. The most famous work in French, The Song of Roland, is the story of the great confrontation between Christians and Saracens, led by Roland, the nephew of Emperor Charlemagne. Most of the medieval literature was sustained in religious traditions, for example, Celtic legends popular in the Middle Ages. The creativity of famous composers was also strongly influenced by the religion of France, which can be seen in the works of Foret, Cesar Franck, Vidor and Berlioz.
In conclusion, I want to say that in this article only the main religions were considered. It must be remembered that there are many more. Each form of worship significantly affects the cultural life of France and finds its admirers in this country.