Establishment of the Cult of the Supreme Being
- When
- 1793–1794
- Where
- Paris, seat of the National Convention; Paris
- Episodes
- 4
On 7 May 1794 the National Convention, acting on Robespierre's design, authorized the Cult of the Supreme Being as the civic religion of the French First Republic, following his 6 May announcement of the Committee of Public Safety's recognition of God and the immortality of the soul.
Episodes
- Denunciation of the Cult of Reason
In late 1793 Robespierre denounced the Cult of Reason and its proponents, presenting his own vision of proper Revolutionary religion.
- Committee of Public Safety Recognition of God
On 6 May 1794 Robespierre announced the Committee of Public Safety's recognition of the existence of God and the immortality of the human soul.
- Decree Establishing the Worship of the Supreme Being
On 7 May 1794 the National Convention authorized the Cult of the Supreme Being, devised by Robespierre, as the civic religion of France.
- First Festival of the Supreme Being
Robespierre declared 20 Prairial Year II (8 June 1794, Pentecost) the first national day of celebration, with future holidays on décadi.
Background and detail
Background. In late 1793 Robespierre delivered a denunciation of the Cult of Reason and its proponents, setting out his own vision of proper Revolutionary religion. The Cult of the Supreme Being was devised almost entirely by Robespierre himself, a radical Jacobin leader then serving on the Committee of Public Safety.
The Decree of 7 May 1794. On 7 May 1794 the National Convention authorized the Cult of the Supreme Being as the civic religion of France, establishing the Worship of the Supreme Being. The opening clauses of the Decree Establishing the Worship of the Supreme Being of the 18th Floréal of the Year II were declared that day.
Festival and Republican Calendar. To inaugurate the new state religion, Robespierre declared that 20 Prairial Year II (8 June 1794, also the Christian holiday of Pentecost) would be the first national day of celebration of the Supreme Being, with future republican holidays held on décadi, the days of rest in the French Republican Calendar.
People involved
- Maximilien Robespierre · Deviser of the cult and member of the Committee of Public Safety
- National Convention · Body that authorized the cult as the civic religion of France
Sources
- Cult of the Supreme Being Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
- Maximilien Robespierre Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.