Editing French Directory (section)

== Church and State ==
{{main|Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution}}
The [[Catholic Church in France|Roman Catholic Church]] suffered significant loss of property and political influence during the French Revolution. Priests, who refused to take an oath to the [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]] emigrated or were expelled from France under a penalty of death. Church property, from cathedrals to candlesticks, was seized and sold. Church ceremonies were banned, causing clandestine religious services to be conducted in private homes. During the [[Reign of Terror]], at Robespierre's urging, the [[National Convention]], on 7 May 1794, proclaimed a new religion, the [[Cult of the Supreme Being]], which in a little over a year led to the [[Thermidorian Reaction]], and Robespierre's downfall and execution. The Roman Catholic Church had been the official state religion during the monarchy, and the Directors were all anti-religious republicans, but the Directory, with a few exceptions, did not try to impose any particular religious views, and its policy toward priests and religious institutions changed depending upon political events.{{sfn|Lefebvre|1977|pp=548–559}} After the fall of Robespierre, the repression against the Church eased and, although the policy of repression remained, many churches, especially in the provinces, re-opened, and exiled priests began to quietly return.

In November 1797, working with the new [[Decimal time|decimal-based]] [[French Republican Calendar|Republican Calendar]], the week of which has ten days, the Directory replaced Sundays and religious holidays with republican celebrations. The tenth day of the week, called ''decadi'', was designated to replace Sunday. The churches still functioning with Constitutional priests were instructed to have mass on ''decadi'', rather than on the day that would have been Sunday in the previous calendar, and ''decadi'' became the official non-working day: government employees were off, and schools, shops and markets were closed. To replace saints' and religious days, a whole series of secular holidays was created, in addition to the patriotic celebrations already in place, such as 14 July and important dates of the French Revolution. There were also special days, such as, "the day of the sovereignty of the people"; "the day of youth"; "the day of spouses"; "the day of agriculture" and "the day of the elderly". Certain churches were given new names: the cathedral [[Notre Dame de Paris]] was renamed "Temple of the Supreme Being", [[Saint-Étienne-du-Mont]] became the "Temple of Filial piety". On ''decadi'', the constitutional priests who performed services were required to share the space with other republican religions and associations who wanted to use the buildings. Large churches were divided into sections for use by various religions.{{sfn|Lefebvre|1977|pp=548–559}}

A new religion, [[Theophilanthropy]], had been founded in 1796 by a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] printer-bookseller named Jean-Baptiste Chemin-Dupontès (1760–1852?).<ref>[http://data.bnf.fr/12229334/jean-baptiste_chemin-dupontes/ Bibliothèque nationale de France]</ref> It was encouraged by the Director La Révellière-Lépeaux and the Ministry of the Interior, with the state paying for its newspaper. Members believed in God and in the immortality of the soul, but not in the [[original sin]]. The sect was similar in form to [[Calvinism]], with readings aloud of texts, hymns and sermons. With the support of the Directory, the sect was given four churches in Paris, including Saint-Roch, Saint-Sulpice and, in April 1798, Notre-Dame de Paris, as well as churches in [[Dijon]], [[Poitiers]] and [[Bordeaux]]. Members of the sect included some prominent figures, such as General Hoche, the industrialist [[Éleuthère Irénée du Pont]], the painter [[Jean-Baptiste Regnault]], and the American philosopher and political activist [[Thomas Paine]]. Beginning in May 1798, however, the Directory began to withdraw support from the newly established deistic sect, which it considered too close to the Jacobins. The sect still had eighteen churches in 1799, but in 1801 it was abolished by Bonaparte.{{sfn|Lefebvre|1977|pp=548–559}}

In Italy, the French army attacked the Papal States governed by the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. In February 1797, Bonaparte occupied [[Ancona]] to force [[Pope Pius VI]] to negotiate. The pope was obliged to cede Ancona and the northern part of his states, creating the French-sponsored [[Anconine Republic]]. The gold and silver in the treasury of the Vatican was taken to France to help support the French currency. Following anti-French riots in Rome in December 1797, a French army under Berthier entered Rome and proclaimed a [[Roman Republic (1798–1799)|Roman Republic]]. Pius VI was taken prisoner by the French Army, and transferred to [[Valence, Drôme|Valence]] in France, where he was kept prisoner until his death in 1801.