Dechristianisation and the Revolutionary Calendar

In 1793–94 the Revolution attempted to remake time and belief. A new calendar, adopted in October 1793, dated years from the founding of the Republic and divided each year into twelve months of thirty days, named after nature and seasons, such as Brumaire for fog and Thermidor for heat. Weeks were replaced by ten-day décades, with every tenth day a rest day instead of Sunday.

Meanwhile some local radicals and representatives on mission launched a 'dechristianisation' campaign: churches were closed or turned into 'Temples of Reason', clergy were pressured to renounce their vows, and a Festival of Reason was held in Notre-Dame in November 1793. Robespierre opposed atheism as politically divisive and promoted a Cult of the Supreme Being, celebrated in June 1794. The campaigns alienated many believers, and the Revolution's religious experiments largely faded after 1794.