The Inventory Controversy (''Querelle des Inventaires'') refers to a series of incidents across
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
following the
1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State
The 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and State (French language, French: ) was passed by the Chamber of Deputies (France), Chamber of Deputies on 3 July 1905. Enacted during the French Third Republic, Third Republic, it establishe ...
. This law required the
inventory
Inventory (British English) or stock (American English) is a quantity of the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation.
Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying ...
of church property as part of preparations for transferring it to newly created religious associations. The law was enacted in the context of widespread Catholic opposition to the secularization policies of the
Third French Republic
The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France duri ...
.
Background
Since the
1801 Concordat
The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, wher ...
, church properties were managed by public establishments such as fabric councils and seminaries. The 1905 law dissolved these establishments and transferred church buildings to religious associations. To implement the transfer, the law mandated an inventory of all church property. The decree of 29 December 1905 formalized this requirement, though it was perceived by many as a "prelude to confiscation."
On January 2, 1906, a government circular instructed officials to open tabernacles during inventories, fueling outrage among Catholics. This directive was later clarified, but not before sparking protests.
Protests
The controversy led to widespread demonstrations in Catholic regions, including
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
,
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, the
Vendée
Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.Massif Central. Protestors often barricaded themselves in churches, viewing the inventories as acts of profanation and
expropriation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English)
is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...
. In some cases, local populations resisted violently, leading to clashes with police and military forces.
The first significant conflict occurred in
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire (; or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Canta ...
on February 27, 1906, during the inventory of the
Notre-Dame d'Estours Chapel
The Notre-Dame-d'Estours Chapel (French: ''Chapelle Notre-Dame-d'Estours'') is a Roman Catholic chapel located in Monistrol-d'Allier, within the department of Haute-Loire, France. It has been listed as a Monument historique since 1926..
Locatio ...
in
Monistrol-d'Allier
Monistrol-d'Allier (, literally ''Monistrol of Allier''; ) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Loire department
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional c ...
. Demonstrators armed with sticks and metal bars attacked officials, resulting in injuries. Further incidents occurred, including the death of a protestor in
Montregard
Montregard () is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Loire department
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or oth ...
on March 3, 1906.
One of the most tragic events took place in
Boeschepe
Boeschepe () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, next to the Belgian border.
Population
Heraldry
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of th ...
on March 6, 1906, where a butcher named Géry Ghysel was killed during a confrontation. This incident prompted the government to suspend the inventories temporarily in some areas.
Government Response
The protests caused political upheaval, contributing to the fall of the
Maurice Rouvier
Maurice Rouvier (; 17 April 1842 – 7 June 1911) was a French statesman of the "Opportunist" faction, who twice served as the Prime Minister of France. He is best known for his financial policies and his unpopular policies designed to avoid a r ...
government on March 7, 1906. His successor,
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who was Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A physician turned journalist, he played a central role in the poli ...
, adopted a more conciliatory approach. On March 20, 1906, Clemenceau declared in Parliament that "counting candlesticks in a church is not worth a human life."Michel Winock, ''Clemenceau'', Perrin, 2007, p. 320.
Clemenceau instructed officials to suspend inventories in the face of resistance. His measures helped de-escalate tensions, and the controversy gradually subsided.
Legacy
The Inventory Controversy highlighted the deep divisions between secular and religious factions in early 20th-century France. It also underscored the challenges of implementing the separation of church and state in a predominantly Catholic nation.