France is a country of free worship.The most popular religions here are Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism. According to a survey conducted in 2010, 27% of French people believe that there is a God, 33% answered that they admit the existence of some kind of energy or higher intelligence, and 40% answered that they do not believe in God or in the presence of human soul or energy. In this regard, France can be considered one of the most non-religious states. But culture and faith in this country are closely linked. So which religion in France is predominant and why are there others? We will tell about it in this article.
Historical overview
In the last millennium, France has remained alone.from those European countries where the religion of Catholicism was considered principled. From the time of Charlemagne to the rise 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. In France, the Catholic faith was firmly established, 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 wastaken under state control in order to contain the revolutionary mood. Monastic communities have ceased to exist. But in 1801 Napoleon signed a treaty with the Vatican, thanks to which the position of the church was restored.
Religion in France in the 19th century
For almost this entire centurythe country in question was officially considered a Catholic state. But in 1905, a large-scale event happened due to which religion in France in the early 19th century underwent significant changes — the state was separated 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 their religion. And today in this country, Catholicism freely gets along with Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and third-party cults.
Religion in our day
The main religion of France is Catholicism.But today, despite the fact that this religion in the territory of a secular state still has more supporters than any other, the time when most of the French considered themselves Catholics has passed. Those who call themselves less than half of the population today. The results of a survey conducted in 2011 show that 45% of French people consider themselves Christians, most of whom are Catholic. At the same time, 35% do not consider themselves to be one religion, and 3% are Muslims.
The number of church worshipers, according topublic survey, here is one of the lowest in the world. In fact, 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 the previous head of state Sarkozy emphasized in his speeches.
Is secularism the "cornerstone" of the state?
Секуляризм сегодня считается «краеугольным a stone "of state self-determination of France. Compared to 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 United States, 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, everything is different. The public figures of this secular state, even if they call themselves Christians (which is becoming less and less popular with members of the government now), try for various reasons to hide their religious life from prying eyes.
Special Territory - Alsace Province
В провинции Эльзас и Мозеле отношения между state and the church other than throughout the territory of France, despite the approved unity of the republics. Here, priests receive state salaries, and religious education in public schools and colleges is mandatory. At the University of Strasbourg there is a theological faculty, the only one at a state university in France.
Protestantism
Протестантизм, еще одна религия Франции, имеет my history. In the Middle Ages, before this term appeared, many people in southwestern France abandoned Catholicism and switched to a heretical type of Christianity, known as Catharism. The Protestant faith was adopted in many regions of the country during the reformation. This religion, though not encouraged, but not prohibited. In 1598, King Henry IV, himself a follower of Protestantism, who was forced to convert to Catholicism in order to become the monarch of France, signed the Edict of Nantes. According to this document, Calvinists, known as Huguenots, were guaranteed freedom of religion and conscience. Many areas of France, especially in the southeast, then turned to Protestantism, and cities, such as La Rochelle, became the main strongholds of this religion in a country officially considered Catholic.
The decline and rebirth of Protestantism
Но в 1685 году эдикт был упразднен Людовиком XIV, which led to the mass emigration of Protestants from France. Religion in France in the 17th century was in some confusion. According to the existing data, about half a million followers of this doctrine left the country at that time 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 Great French Revolution, he was officially recognized as one of the many existing forms of religion. Today, Protestantism exists in places throughout the country, but most followers of this religious movement can be found in the province of Alsace and Northern Franche-Comté in eastern France, as well as in the Cevennes 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. One third of them, a little over two million, observe religious rituals. For comparison: 10 million practicing Catholics live in the country. Most Muslims in France are from North Africa, that is, descendants of those who once lived in its former colonies - Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
According to the research of the sociologist SamirAl-Ambar, in France, there are from 12 to 15 thousand Salafis, or radical Muslims, 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 2,000 of them. 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 connection of culture and religion
Culture and religion of France have always been closelyintertwined. The art of this country was strongly 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, altar decorations, stained glass windows, carved sophisticated sculptures intended for interior and exterior decoration of churches. In literature, one can often find mention of Christianity. The most famous work in French, The Song of Roland, is the story of a 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 work of famous composers was also greatly influenced by the religion of France, which can be seen in the works of Faure, César Franck, Vidor and Berlioz.
In conclusion, I would like to say that in this articleonly major religions were considered. It must be remembered that they exist much more. Each form of religion significantly influences the cultural life of France and finds its admirers in this country.
