Description:

THE CELEBRATION OF THE ANTI-CATHOLIC DECADARY CULT
Interesting manuscript D.S. 1p. 4to., ‘5 Vendemaire an 7' (Sept. 26, 1798), an announcement made just six weeks after the establishment of the Decadary Cult in August 1798, sent by the Department of the Seine with rules about the celebrations, use of churches for them, and more. Attached to this notice is a 4pp. legal folio extract from the register of the deliberations of the Department regarding the opening of certain churches for purposes other than religious service. In part: ‘…Considering first that the municipal buildings are neither convenient nor spacious enough to receive members of the administration, citizens who would like to hear the laws being passed, people who wish to get married and public school students, the Department decrees that churches will now be opened for the Decadis Celebrations in the rural areas, and, in Paris, churches in each arrondissement will be opened for the same purpose…'. The document then lists each church by name but avoids the ‘St.' in each name in keeping with Revolutionary anti-Catholicism. Further to this, the document states that no one may appear in religious vestments or carry ceremonial objects. The Decadary Cult was intended to provide citizens with an opportunity to congregate in a non-Christian manner, replacing traditional religious services with ‘Fetes' or festivals on the day of rest during each week of the newly-minted Republican calendar. The life of these celebrations was short indeed: Napoleon shut down the cult in 1799, making this document most rare indeed. The two pieces are joined by original glue at the bottom left corner, very good condition

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January 18, 2024 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

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