Histoire de l'Eglise constitutionnelle dans la métropole de Paris depuis la fin de la Terreur en juillet 1794 jusqu'à la clôture du premier concile national en novembre 1797

History of the constitutional church in the metropole of paris from the end of the terror in july 1794 to the closing of the first national council in november 1797

• Auteur / Autrice : Rodney Dean
• Direction : Jean Tulard
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Histoire
• Date : Soutenance en 1987
• Etablissement(s) : Paris 4

Mots clés

Mots clés contrôlés

Histoire religieuse

Mots clés libres

Histoire

Résumé

Pendant l'automne de 1795 quelques ecclesiastiques constitutionnels se reunirent a paris pour organiser le retablissement du culte en france. L'idee elle-meme semble avoir ete concue en premier lieu par l'abbe clement, mais il fut encourage par le medecin charles saillant. L'abbe gregoire se joignit au groupe en decembre et peu apres prononca un discours ou il revendiqua la liberte des cultes. Cette liberte fut accordee de mauvaise grace par la convention nationale et les eveques reunis redigerent une premiere lettre encyclique en mars ou ils etablirent certains reglements pour l'organisation de la nouvelle eglise constitutionnelle. Pendant les mois suivants quelques eglises a paris furent reouvertes. Naturellement les constitutionnels devaient faire face a l' hostilite des pretres insermentes qui profiterent des memes lois pour s'installer dans d'autres paroisses de la capitale. Malgre les difficultes, des presbyteres furent etablis a paris et a versailles, mais la tentative d'elire un eveque de versailles echoua. Sous le directoire, l'eglise s'affronta a la meme hostilite anticlericale qu'auparavant, mais la situation s'ameliora apres la nomination de cochon au ministere de la police en avril 1796. Une seconde lettre encyclique, publiee en decembre 1795, encouragea l'organisation de la nouvelle eglise, mais les relations avec le pape resterent mauvaises. Par l'organe d'un journal hebdomadaire les eveques reunis reussirent a diffuser leurs idees. Clement fut enfin elu eveque de versailles en fevrier 1797, mais l'eglise de paris resta sans eveque. Pierre thuin, eveque de meaux, se rallia en 1796 a la cause constitutionnelle et aida a preparer le premier concile national en aout 1797. Ce concile etait le fruit des efforts d'un groupe de chretiens, animes par des sentiments gallicans mais pousses aussi par la conviction que leur foi devait s'exterioriser pleinement dans une societe republicaine.

In the autumn of 1795 some members of the constitutional church met in paris to organise the re-establishment of public worship in france. The idea seems to have occured first to abbe clement, but he was encouraged by the doctor charles saillant. Abbe gregoire joined the group in december and shortly afterwards he gave a speech in which he demanded freedom of worship. This freedom was granted grudgingly by the national convention and the 'eveques reunis' drew up a first encyclical letter in march in which they established some rules for the organisation of the new constitutional church. In the next few months some churches in paris were re-opened. Of course the constitutionals had to face the hostility of the refractory priests, who benefited from the same laws and settled in other parishes in the capital. Despite the difficulties, presbyteries were formed in paris and versailles, but the attempt to elect a bishop of versailles failed. Under the directory, the church faced the same anticlerical hostility as before, but the situation improved after the appointment of cochon as minister of police in april 1796. A second encyclical letter, published in december 1795, encouraged the organisation of the new church, but relations with the pope remained bad. Through its weekly newspaper the 'eveques reunis' managed to spread their ideas. Clement was finally elected bishop of versailles in february 1797, but the paris church remained without a bishop. Pierre thuin, bishop of meaux, rallied to the constitutional cause in 1796 and helped prepare the first national council in august 1797, this council was the fruit of the efforts of a group of christians, who were motivated by their gallican feelings but also urged on by the conviction that their faith had to be expressed fully in a republican society.