Festival of Reason at Notre Dame
- When
- 1793
- Where
- Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris; Notre-Dame de Paris; Paris
- Episodes
- 3
On 10 November 1793 (20 Brumaire, Year II), the nationwide Fête de la Raison was celebrated in Paris, with Notre-Dame de Paris rededicated as a Temple of Reason. Living women portrayed the Goddess of Reason, including Sophie Momoro. Supervised by Hébert and Momoro, the festival epitomized the republican Cult of Reason, though Robespierre's opposition kept the Convention from attending officially.
Episodes
- Notre-Dame rededicated as a Temple of Reason
In 1793 the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris was converted into a Temple of Reason, and later rededicated to the Cult of the Supreme Being.
- Convention prevented from attending officially
By late 1793 the Convention might have attended the Paris festival en masse, but Robespierre's unshakeable opposition prevented it from becoming an official affair.
- Fête de la Raison celebrated at Notre-Dame
The official nationwide Festival of Reason, supervised by Hébert and Momoro, was held on 10 November 1793 and epitomized the new republican religion.
Background and detail
Background. Opposition to the French Catholic Church was integral among the causes of the French Revolution, and anti-clericalism solidified into official government policy in 1792 after the First French Republic was declared. The Cult of Reason was France's first established state-sponsored atheistic religion, intended as a replacement for Christianity during the Revolution.
The Festival in Notre-Dame. The official nationwide Fête de la Raison, supervised by Hébert and Momoro on 20 Brumaire, Year II (10 November 1793), came to epitomize the new republican way of religion. To avoid statuary and idolatry, Goddess figures were portrayed by living women; in Paris the role was played by Momoro's wife, Sophie, whom Carlyle called one of the best Goddesses of Reason despite her slightly defective teeth.
Notre-Dame as Temple of Reason. Notre-Dame de Paris, the medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité and seat of the Archdiocese of Paris, was converted in 1793 into a Temple of Reason and later a Temple of the Supreme Being. The cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason in 1793, then to the Cult of the Supreme Being in 1794.
Aftermath. By late 1793 the Convention might have attended the Paris festival en masse, but the unshakeable opposition of Maximilien Robespierre and like-minded others prevented it from becoming an official affair. In spring 1794 Robespierre announced the deistic Cult of the Supreme Being, and after Hébert, Momoro, and other leaders were guillotined in March 1794, the Cult of Reason effectively ceased to exist.
People involved
- Jacques-René Hébert · Supervisor of the Fête de la Raison
- Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette · Hébertiste guillotined four days after Hébert, Momoro, Ronsin, and Vincent (28 March 1794)
- Sophie Momoro · Played the Goddess of Reason in Paris
- Maximilien Robespierre · Opponent of the festival's official status
Sources
- Cult of Reason Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Notre-Dame de Paris Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
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.