Protestantism in France
Protestantism in France has existed in its various forms, starting with
Hans J. Hillerbrand in his Encyclopedia of Protestantism claims the
Protestants were granted a degree of religious freedom following the
According to a 2020 survey,
Major groups
Waldensians
A Christian sect or movement, sometimes characterized as
Huguenots
The
Lutherans
Lutherans formed a minority among the overall French Protestants. Their congregations were strengthened by Lutheran immigrants, mostly settling in economically prosperous places. With the French conquest of German-speaking regions along the Rhine beginning in the 17th century, the Kingdom acquired significant Lutheran populations. Under Napoleonic religious legislation of 1801 and 1802 also French Lutheranism was reorganized forming the Église de la Confession d'Augsbourg de France, established as a nationwide synod and body. It renamed as
Diffusion
In a study regarding the various religions of France, based on 51 surveys held by the
History
Reformation in France
French Wars of Religion (1562–1598)
Huguenot rebellions (1621–1629)
Significant decline under Louis XIV
Under his rule, the Edict of Nantes which granted rights to Huguenots was abolished. The revocation effectively forced Huguenots to emigrate or convert in a wave of dragonnades. Louis XIV managed to virtually destroy the French Protestant minority, which had survived more than 150 years of wars and persecution under previous French kings.
Further persecution
Persecution formally stopped with the Edict of Versailles in 1787, although it was not until the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 that Protestants were fully emancipated.
Napoleon and Protestants
Later establishments
In 1927 some congregations of EPCAAL branched off and established a separate Evangelical Lutheran church and synod for France and Belgium. Many Evangelical Protestant currents would be established in France in the post-WWII period, many of which are part of charismatic or Pentecostal movements. These movements often succeeded older and smaller movements that were largely indigenous or established through the efforts of European, mainly British, Evangelicals.
Apology to the Huguenots
In October 1985, to commemorate the tercentenary of the
A new rise of Protestantism
While Protestantism is declining in much of Lutheran Europe,[5][6] France may be an exception,[7] where it now is claimed to be stable in number or even growing slightly.[7]
Protestants form a minority of 3% in France. Various churches shaped by
In 2019, it was reported that a new Evangelical church is built every 10 days and Evangelicanism now counts 700,000 followers across France.[8]
See also
- Religion in France
- Christianity in France
- Martin Luther
- Jean Calvin
- Virtual Museum of Protestantism
- Conference of Protestant Churches in Latin Countries of Europe
References
- ^ "Being Christian in Western Europe" (PDF). Pew Research Center. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ US State Dept 2022 report
- ^ Fourquet, Jérôme; Le Bras, Hervé (2014). "La religion dévoilée" (PDF). Jean Jaurès Fondation: 71. Archived from the original on 2017-04-11.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Allocution de M. François Mitterrand, Président de la République, aux cérémonies du tricentenaire de la Révocation de l'Edit de Nantes, sur la tolérance en matière politique et religieuse et l'histoire du protestantisme en France, Paris, Palais de l'UNESCO". Discours.vie-publique.fr. 1985-10-11. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-135-21100-4.
- ISBN 9004126228– via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 9789059723986– via Google Books.
- ^ "Focus - Evangelical churches gaining ground in France". France 24. July 12, 2019.
Further reading
- Dagon, Gérard. Petites églises de France. [S.l.]: Édité par l'auteur; [S.l.: Printed by] M. Hagondange, 1977. N.B.: Concerns non-Catholic Christian groups and also non-Christian religions in France.
- Mehl, Roger. Le Protestantisme français dans la société actuelle: 1945-1980, in series, Histoire et société, n'o 1. Genève: Éditions Labor et Fides, 1982. Without ISBN