The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris.[1] It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation between revolutionaries and Catholics and solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France, with most of its civil status restored. This resolved the hostility of devout French Catholics against the revolutionary state. It did not restore the vast church lands and endowments that had been seized upon during the revolution and sold off. Catholic clergy returned from exile, or from hiding, and resumed their traditional positions in their traditional churches. Very few parishes continued to employ the priests who had accepted the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of the Revolutionary regime. While the Concordat restored much power to the papacy, the balance of church-state relations tilted firmly in Napoleon's favour. He selected the bishops and supervised church finances.[2][3]
Leaders of the Catholic Church taking the civil oath required by the Concordat.
The Signing of the Concordat between France and the Holy See, 15 July 1801. Artist: François Gérard, (1770-1837). Musée National du Château de Versailles, Versailles
Napoleon and the Pope both found the Concordat useful. Similar arrangements were made with the Church in territories controlled by Napoleon, especially Italy and Germany.[4]
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly had taken Church properties and issued the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which made the Church a department of the State, effectively removing it from papal authority. At the time, the nationalized Gallican Church was the official church of France, but it was essentially Catholicism. The Civil Constitution caused hostility among the Vendeans towards the change in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the French government. Subsequent laws abolished the traditional Gregorian calendar and Christian holidays.[5]
The Concordat was drawn up by a commission with three representatives from each party. Napoleon Bonaparte, who was First Consul of the French Republic at the time, appointed Joseph Bonaparte, his brother, Emmanuel Crétet, a counselor of state, and Étienne-Alexandre Bernier, a doctor in theology. Pope Pius VII appointed Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, Cardinal Giuseppe Spina,[6] archbishop of Corinth, and his theological adviser, Father Carlo Francesco Maria Caselli.[7] The French bishops, whether still abroad or returned to their own country, had no part in the negotiations. The concordat as finally arranged practically ignored them.[8]
While the Concordat restored some ties to the papacy, it was largely in favor of the state; it wielded greater power vis-à-vis the Pope than previous French regimes had, and church lands lost during the Revolution were not returned. Napoleon took a utilitarian approach to the role of religion.[9] He could now win favor with French Catholics while also controlling Rome in a political sense. Napoleon once told his brother Lucien in April 1801, "Skillful conquerors have not got entangled with priests. They can both contain them and use them."[10] As a part of the Concordat, he presented another set of laws called the Organic Articles.
Contents
The main terms of the Concordat of 1801 between France and Pope Pius VII included:
A declaration that "Catholicism was the religion of the great majority of the French" but not the official state religion, thus maintaining religious freedom, in particular with respect to Protestants.
The Papacy had the right to depose bishops; the French government still, since the Concordat of Bologna in 1516, nominated them.
The state would pay clerical salaries and the clergy swore an oath of allegiance to the state.
The Catholic Church gave up all its claims to Church lands that were confiscated after 1790.
Sunday was reestablished as a "festival", effective Easter Sunday, 18 April 1802. The rest of the French Republican calendar, which had been abolished, was not replaced by the traditional Gregorian Calendar until 1 January 1806.
According to Georges Goyau, the law known as "The Organic Articles", promulgated in April 1802, infringed in various ways on the spirit of the concordat.[8] The document claimed Catholicism was "the religion of the majority of Frenchmen," and still gave state recognition to Protestants and Jews as well.
^Knight, Charles. "Pius VII," Biography: Or, Third Division of "The English Encyclopedia", Vol. 4, Bradbury, Evans & Company, 1867
^Aston, Nigel. Religion and revolution in France, 1780-1804 (Catholic University of America Press, 2000) pp 279-335
^Roberts, William. "Napoleon, the Concordat of 1801, and Its Consequences", Controversial Concordats: The Vatican's Relations with Napoleon, Mussolini, and Hitler, (Frank J. Coppa ed.), (1999) pp: 34-80.
^Aston, Nigel. Christianity and revolutionary Europe, 1750-1830 (Cambridge University Press, 2002) pp 261-62.
^Spina had been Papal Majordomo for Pius VI, and had followed him in his arrest and deportation to France in 1799. Salvador Miranda, Librarian Emeritus, Florida International University, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Spina, Giuseppe. Retrieved: 2016-07-30.
^Edwards, Bela Bates; Peters, Absalom; Agnew, John Holmes; Treat, Selah Burr (1840). The American Biblical Repository. s.n. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
^ abGoyau, Georges. "The French Concordat of 1801." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 8 November 2015
^Vilmer, Jean-Baptiste Jeangéne. "Comment on the Concordat of 1801 between France and the Holy See", Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, 102: 1, 2007, p. 124-154
^Aston, Nigel (2002). Christianity and Revolutionary Europe c. 1750-1830. Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-46027-1.
Further reading
Aston, Nigel. Religion and revolution in France, 1780-1804 (Catholic University of America Press, 2000), pp. 279–315.
Consalvi, Ercole (1866). J. Crétineau-Joly (ed.). Mémoires du Cardinal Consalvi, avec une introduction et des notes de J.Crétineau-Joly (in French). H.Plon.
Crétineau-Joly, Jacques (1869). Bonaparte, le concordat de 1801 et le cardinal Consalvi ; suivi, Des deux letters au père Theiner sur le pape Clément XIV (in French). Paris: H. Plon.
Roberts, William."Napoleon, the Concordat of 1801, and Its Consequences." in: Frank J. Coppa, ed., Controversial Concordats: The Vatican's Relations with Napoleon, Mussolini, and Hitler (1999) pp: 34–80.
Sévestre, Emile (1905). L'histoire, le texte et la destinée du Concordat de 1801 (in French) (seconde ed.). Paris: Lethielleux.
Theiner, Augustin (1869). Histoire des deux concordats de la République française et de la République cisalpine conclus en 1801 et 1803 entre Napoléon Bonaparte et le Saint-Siège--: suivie d'une relation de son couronnement comme empereur des français par Pie VII--d'après des documents inédits, extraits des archives secrètes du Vatican et de celles de France (in French). Vol. Tome I. Bar-le-Duc: L. Guérin & cie.
Walsh, Henry Horace. The Concordat of 1801: A Study of the Problem of Nationalism in the Relations of Church and State (Columbia University Press, 1933).
External links
Documents upon Napoleon and the Reorganization of Religion: selected text of the Concordat and Organic Articles
May 02, 2023
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The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris 1 It remained in effect until 1905 except in Alsace Lorraine where it remains in force It sought national reconciliation between revolutionaries and Catholics and solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France with most of its civil status restored This resolved the hostility of devout French Catholics against the revolutionary state It did not restore the vast church lands and endowments that had been seized upon during the revolution and sold off Catholic clergy returned from exile or from hiding and resumed their traditional positions in their traditional churches Very few parishes continued to employ the priests who had accepted the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of the Revolutionary regime While the Concordat restored much power to the papacy the balance of church state relations tilted firmly in Napoleon s favour He selected the bishops and supervised church finances 2 3 Allegory of the Concordat of 1801 by Pierre Joseph Celestin Francois Leaders of the Catholic Church taking the civil oath required by the Concordat The Signing of the Concordat between France and the Holy See 15 July 1801 Artist Francois Gerard 1770 1837 Musee National du Chateau de Versailles Versailles Napoleon and the Pope both found the Concordat useful Similar arrangements were made with the Church in territories controlled by Napoleon especially Italy and Germany 4 Contents 1 History 2 Contents 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory EditDuring the French Revolution the National Assembly had taken Church properties and issued the Civil Constitution of the Clergy which made the Church a department of the State effectively removing it from papal authority At the time the nationalized Gallican Church was the official church of France but it was essentially Catholicism The Civil Constitution caused hostility among the Vendeans towards the change in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the French government Subsequent laws abolished the traditional Gregorian calendar and Christian holidays 5 The Concordat was drawn up by a commission with three representatives from each party Napoleon Bonaparte who was First Consul of the French Republic at the time appointed Joseph Bonaparte his brother Emmanuel Cretet a counselor of state and Etienne Alexandre Bernier a doctor in theology Pope Pius VII appointed Cardinal Ercole Consalvi Cardinal Giuseppe Spina 6 archbishop of Corinth and his theological adviser Father Carlo Francesco Maria Caselli 7 The French bishops whether still abroad or returned to their own country had no part in the negotiations The concordat as finally arranged practically ignored them 8 While the Concordat restored some ties to the papacy it was largely in favor of the state it wielded greater power vis a vis the Pope than previous French regimes had and church lands lost during the Revolution were not returned Napoleon took a utilitarian approach to the role of religion 9 He could now win favor with French Catholics while also controlling Rome in a political sense Napoleon once told his brother Lucien in April 1801 Skillful conquerors have not got entangled with priests They can both contain them and use them 10 As a part of the Concordat he presented another set of laws called the Organic Articles Contents EditThe main terms of the Concordat of 1801 between France and Pope Pius VII included A declaration that Catholicism was the religion of the great majority of the French but not the official state religion thus maintaining religious freedom in particular with respect to Protestants The Papacy had the right to depose bishops the French government still since the Concordat of Bologna in 1516 nominated them The state would pay clerical salaries and the clergy swore an oath of allegiance to the state The Catholic Church gave up all its claims to Church lands that were confiscated after 1790 Sunday was reestablished as a festival effective Easter Sunday 18 April 1802 The rest of the French Republican calendar which had been abolished was not replaced by the traditional Gregorian Calendar until 1 January 1806 According to Georges Goyau the law known as The Organic Articles promulgated in April 1802 infringed in various ways on the spirit of the concordat 8 The document claimed Catholicism was the religion of the majority of Frenchmen and still gave state recognition to Protestants and Jews as well The Concordat was abrogated by the law of 1905 on the separation of Church and state However some provisions of the Concordat are still in effect in the Alsace Lorraine region under the local law of Alsace Moselle as the region was controlled by the German Empire at the time of the 1905 law s passage See also EditNapoleon and the Jews Concordat in Alsace MoselleReferences Edit Knight Charles Pius VII Biography Or Third Division of The English Encyclopedia Vol 4 Bradbury Evans amp Company 1867 Aston Nigel Religion and revolution in France 1780 1804 Catholic University of America Press 2000 pp 279 335 Roberts William Napoleon the Concordat of 1801 and Its Consequences Controversial Concordats The Vatican s Relations with Napoleon Mussolini and Hitler Frank J Coppa ed 1999 pp 34 80 Aston Nigel Christianity and revolutionary Europe 1750 1830 Cambridge University Press 2002 pp 261 62 France Berkley Center for Religion Peace and World Affairs Archived from the original on 6 February 2011 Retrieved 15 December 2011 See drop down essay on Religion and Politics until the French Revolution Spina had been Papal Majordomo for Pius VI and had followed him in his arrest and deportation to France in 1799 Salvador Miranda Librarian Emeritus Florida International University The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church Spina Giuseppe Retrieved 2016 07 30 Edwards Bela Bates Peters Absalom Agnew John Holmes Treat Selah Burr 1840 The American Biblical Repository s n Retrieved 22 April 2014 a b Goyau Georges The French Concordat of 1801 The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 4 New York Robert Appleton Company 1908 8 November 2015 Vilmer Jean Baptiste Jeangene Comment on the Concordat of 1801 between France and the Holy See Revue d histoire ecclesiastique 102 1 2007 p 124 154 Aston Nigel 2002 Christianity and Revolutionary Europec 1750 1830 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 46027 1 Further reading EditAston Nigel Religion and revolution in France 1780 1804 Catholic University of America Press 2000 pp 279 315 Consalvi Ercole 1866 J Cretineau Joly ed Memoires du Cardinal Consalvi avec une introduction et des notes de J Cretineau Joly in French H Plon Cretineau Joly Jacques 1869 Bonaparte le concordat de 1801 et le cardinal Consalvi suivi Des deux letters au pere Theiner sur le pape Clement XIV in French Paris H Plon Roberts William Napoleon the Concordat of 1801 and Its Consequences in Frank J Coppa ed Controversial Concordats The Vatican s Relations with Napoleon Mussolini and Hitler 1999 pp 34 80 Sevestre Emile 1905 L histoire le texte et la destinee du Concordat de 1801 in French seconde ed Paris Lethielleux Theiner Augustin 1869 Histoire des deux concordats de la Republique francaise et de la Republique cisalpine conclus en 1801 et 1803 entre Napoleon Bonaparte et le Saint Siege suivie d une relation de son couronnement comme empereur des francais par Pie VII d apres des documents inedits extraits des archives secretes du Vatican et de celles de France in French Vol Tome I Bar le Duc L Guerin amp cie Walsh Henry Horace The Concordat of 1801 A Study of the Problem of Nationalism in the Relations of Church and State Columbia University Press 1933 External links EditDocuments upon Napoleon and the Reorganization of Religion selected text of the Concordat and Organic Articles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Concordat of 1801 amp oldid 1144677544, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
