The Petite Église (, "Little Church"; ) was a group of French and Belgian Roman Catholics who separated from the
Catholic Church in France
The Catholic Church in France, Gallican Church, or French Catholic Church, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome. Established in the 2nd century in unbroken communion with the bishop of Rome, it was sometim ...
following the
Concordat of 1801
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, ...
between
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
and
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. They were considered schismatic. One modern estimate gives its number of adherents as high as 100,000 at one time. The community declined following the death of its last episcopal adherent in 1829, and the last members submitted to the
Bishop of Saint-Flour in 1911.
References
Further reading
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*
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* Drochon, Jean-Emmanuel B. (1894) ''La petite église; essai historique sur le schisme anticoncordataire''. 1894.
Le livre du Père Drochon n'a aucune valeur historique." Bricaud, p. 22.*
* Janssen (2006). ''La Petite Église en 30 questions''. Geste Editions 2006.
*
*
* Raymonde Baptiste (analysé et présenté par...) (1998) ''Carnet-journal de François Métay, membre de la Petite Église (1878-1883)'' 1998, .
External links
Union des Petites Eglises Catholiques Indépendantesa small
Old Catholic
The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches, or Old Catholic movement, designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great C ...
jurisdiction descended from the Petite Église.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petite Eglise
Former Christian denominations
Independent Catholic denominations
19th-century Catholicism
Religious organizations established in 1801
1801 establishments in France
Catholic Church in France
Christian denominations established in the 19th century
1911 disestablishments in France