How did the Festival of the Supreme Being play into the politics of the terror?
Introduction:
The Cult of the Supreme Being, was an answer to the religious questions of the French Revolution, as the dominant Catholicism was under attack from the start of the revolution how to replace it was an important feat of the revolution that had many different interpretations. Maximilien Robespierre was not an atheist as many of his counterparts. He would have followed the "generalized Deism of Rousseau" stating that he would "uphold these eternal principles by which human frailty can find strength to make the leap to virtue" (Smyth P13). The politics of 1794 was a series of these series of maneuvers that were an effort to seize control of the revolution and counter the Catholic church. Therefore in March of 1794 when plans for the festival were beginning to be made for the new cult on the block, and a grand Festival celebrating the Supreme Being, and its cult. The festival would only be held once, and the cult would largely be defunct almost instantly after the death of Robespierre, before being outright banned by Napoleon some years later. The Festival of the Supreme Being was not a natural occurrence, but a planned gesture to seize control of the revolution and through creating a new course of morality and future for a republican France, was supposed to lead the country out of the terror and last beyond the revolution. Though the reasons this did not happen lie within the event itself, as well as its enemies.
Precursor to the Festival:
Throughout the Revolution De-Christianization was a common thread that could unite revolutionary forces, and one of the ways Catholicism was to be de-legitimized was through the new cults. Primarily the Cult of Reason, and Supreme Being. In 1794 Robespierre had nearly defeated his revolutionary rivals, most notably Hebert, and Danton, and was set to take a sort of Dictatorial control of France. The Cult of Reason, was the first of these anticlerical, and atheistic cults set to take religious control of France. It was a new state sponsored religion, set on the virtues of liberty and the victory of the Revolutionaries. Though this cult was opposed by Robespierre and had the support instead of Hebert, who would promptly be executed in March of 1794 leaving the Cult of Reason a failure. Despite its prominence and use symbols such as the Goddess of Reason, alongside the constant appropriation of previously Catholic institutions. the Festival of Reason and Cult never took a grasp on the national life of French, and the festival held at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, would not sway the nation enough to not die alongside Hebert. The rival cult to the one of Reason, was of course the Robespierre supported Cult of the Supreme Being. Which was another cult based on the Deism of the "Supreme Being", which was far less atheistic, and sought to be Robespierre's true revolutionary religion to replace both Catholicism and the previously state sponsored cult of Reason in France. However it would not last long and would go practically unsupported anyway and its festival and existence contributed largely to the death of Robespierre in July of 1794. The event of the festival though gives good insight into the direction Robespierre wished to direct France in compared to his counterparts, and the Terror's events came to an end. The masses that would celebrate in the Champs de Mars, would play into the De-Christianization, of France, leading into another period known as the Thermidorian Reaction, where the politics of Robespierre and his rivals, ended with his head being separated from his body. Catholicism during the Terror:
Robespierre was a believer in the necessity of deism in a society, based on his commitment to the teachings of Voltaire, and Rousseau. This part of Voltaire's writings especially were not to be present in the Cult of Reason, which is one reason Robespierre was a rival to this group. Robespierre was as not a staunch rival of the Church however, which is why the Cult of the Supreme Being actually ran contrary to the set standard for de-Christianization processes that had been mounting since the beginning of the Revolution.
Figure 1: Hennin, Michel, Vue de la montagne elevée au Champ de la Reunion : pour la fêtequi y a été célebrée en l'honneur de l'Etre Suprême le Decadi 20 Prairial de l'an 2.me d la Republique Français,
This image was created to illustrate the liberty tree and mound at the Champs de Mars. Important symbols of the festival and to illustrate the grandeur and legitimize the new annual celebration. Published in newspapers and pamphlets the wagon seen in the 2nd third of the print, illustrates a wagon with the woman representing France. The manmade and funding of this festival was that was given 950,000 livres of budget by the national convetion (Dunn P78). Esepcially at a time where budget and spending were a huge concern almost a million being allocated to this illustrates the importance of how religion and politics intertwined during the entire revolution. And is likely a reason Robespierre was desposed afterwards, as the scale of his celebratory day, alongside the symbols, whether it be torches or hercules atop a manmade mountain, were an extravagance unrivaled by other
The Festival Begins:
The Festival of the Supreme Being was set to be held in the new 20 Prairial Year II (8 June 1794). The event drew hundreds of thousands across France. The most important celebration however was obviously in Paris. Starting at the crack of dawn pageants and parades were held, while the celebration at the Champs De Mars was the focal point of the entire festival. While the celebrations outside of this monument, and celebrations outside Paris did occur, the images of this event illustrate all the symbolism of the cult, and is where the mastermind of it all; Robespierre, would have been, to speak and stress the importance of the Festival for the revolution.
"the overall size of the Mountain as having been approximately 120 feet long and 60 feet wide, rising to a height of some 30 feet in a series of platforms, above which was placed the platform carrying the Tree of Liberty, giving an overall height at the topmost platform of about 40 feet." (Smyth P59) In it he explained his idea for a civic religion worshiping a deist "supreme being" while resisting the more extreme tendency of some to eliminate spirituality outright through an atheistic "cult of reason."
Figure 2: Pierre Antoine Demachy, Festival of Supreme Being on Champ de Mars,
Robespierre's Speech:
The Festival of the Supreme Being (8 June 1794) "At exactly five in the morning, a general recall shall be sounded in Paris. This call shall invite every citizen, men and women alike, to immediately adorn their houses with the beloved colors of liberty, either by rehanging their flags, or by embellishing their houses with garlands of flowers and greenery. They shall then go to the assembly areas of their respective sections to await the departure signal.
"Generous people, do you want to triumph over all your enemies? Practice justice and render to the Supreme Being the only form of worship worthy of him. People, let us surrender ourselves today, under his auspices, to the just ecstasy of pure joy. Tomorrow we shall again combat vices and tyrants; we shall give the world an example of republican virtues: and that shall honor the Supreme Being more. After this speech, a symphony shall be played. At the same time, the president, armed with the Flame of Truth, shall descend from the amphitheater and approach a monument raised on a circular basin, representing the monster, Atheism."
The implications of the importance of the Festival of the Supreme Being, were crucial to Robespierre taking control of the revolution. The extravagance, of the ceremony and the necessity of swaying the public opinion was clear. Especially in the realm of religion where Robespierre's ideas often ran counter to the other revolutionaries of the time. The speech was a solidify of power and the setting of the stage for Robespierre's republic. His republic that would include the basic deism, and disregard the staunch atheism of his critics. While still displacing the Catholic church, Robespierre could have siezed control of all of France. If not for his death, Dictarorial power would have lied with him and his state religion. After the festival the terror ended, and Robespierre was dead. Though the stability of the country was not yet solidified, the counter revolutionary would begin their reign, as the terror came to an end and the cults of Robespierre and his counter parts faded into more obscurity.
As the festival and its dreams were a failure to become a staple of French households, and the granduer of said festival would not occur in Paris annually as it had been intended to.
Work Cited:
“Religion: The Cult of the Supreme Being,” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOUTION, accessed April 21, 2020, https://revolution.chnm.org/items/show/416.
Vovelle, Michel. The Revolution against the Church: From Reason to the Supreme Being. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1991.
Smyth, Jonathan A. Robespierre and the Festival of the Supreme Being : The Search for a Republican Morality. Edited by Cross Máire. Studies in Modern French History. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2016.
Fig. 1. Hennin, Michel, Vue de la montagne elevée au Champ de la Reunion : pour la fête qui y a été célebrée en l'honneur de l'Etre Suprême le Decadi 20 Prairial de l'an 2.me d la Republique Français, Newsprint, Stanford University, From A Paris : chez Chéreau, [1794], https://exhibits.stanford.edu/frenchrevolution/catalog/gr780mf8155 (Accessed April 16, 2020)
Dunn, Justin. Secularizing the Sacred: “The Effort to Dechristianize France During the French Revolution” Primary Source Volume IV: Issue II. University of Indiana (2012) 26-28, https://psource.sitehost.iu.edu/PDF/Archive%20Articles/Spring2014/2014%20-%20Spring%20-%205%20-%20Dunn%20Justin.pdf
La Convention nationale, réimpression faite textuellement sur le moniteur original, vol. 21 (Paris, 1842), 683–84 (from the Gazette nationale, no. 262, 22 Prairial, an II [10 June 1794]). https://revolution.chnm.org/items/show/416
Fig. 2. de Machy, Festival of Supreme Being on Champ de Mars, 1794. Oil on canvas, (17.40 x 11.42 in). De Agostini Picture Library, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/festival-of-supreme-being-on-champ-de-mars-paris-france-stock-graphic/1072799028 (accessed April 16, 2020)
Man, I didn't realize Robespierre went that hard in a cult and I never considered how different France may have been if he hadn't died when he did.
Impressive how detailed you went into this blog, I had no idea of a supreme being festival prior to reading this.