Cult of Reason
Also called: Festival of Reason, Temple of Reason · Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Cult of Reason was a radical campaign during the French Revolution, in 1793–94, that tried to replace the authority of the Catholic Church with the worship of human reason. It was part of dechristianisation, a drive to remove the Church from public life. Its leaders were the Hébertists, the most radical group in Paris, and Pierre-Gaspard Chaumette of the Paris Commune (the city government). Churches were turned into "Temples of Reason", and churches in Paris were closed by order. It matters because it shows a state trying to remake people's beliefs, not just change their government. The irony is that reason, which was meant to free people from dogma, itself became a belief pushed on them by the state.
Example
On 10 November 1793, Chaumette held a Festival of Reason in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, and the cathedral became a Temple of Reason. An actress played the goddess Reason. The cult lost official backing in 1794, after the Hébertists were executed and Chaumette was arrested and guillotined.
Don't confuse with
- Cult of the Supreme Being: Robespierre's replacement cult from 1794. It was Deist: it declared that God exists and the soul is immortal, while the Cult of Reason left God out. Its festival was held on 8 June 1794.