Protestantism in France has existed in its various forms, starting withCalvinism andLutheranism since theProtestant Reformation.John Calvin was a Frenchman, as were numerous otherProtestant Reformers includingWilliam Farel,Pierre Viret andTheodore Beza, who was Calvin's successor inGeneva.Peter Waldo (Pierre Vaudes/de Vaux) was a merchant fromLyon, who founded apre-Protestant group, theWaldensians.Martin Bucer was born a German inAlsace, which historically belonged to theHoly Roman Empire, but now belongs to France.
Hans J. Hillerbrand in hisEncyclopedia of Protestantism claims theHuguenots reached as much as 15% of the French population on the eve of theSt. Bartholomew's Day massacre, declining to 10-12% by the end of the 16th century, and further after heavy persecution began once again with therevocation of the Edict of Nantes byLouis XIV.
Protestants were granted a degree of religious freedom following theEdict of Nantes, but it ceased with theEdict of Fontainebleau. The Protestant minority was persecuted, and a majority ofHuguenots fled the country, leaving isolated communities like the one in theCevennes region, which survives to this day.
According to a 2020 survey,Protestants made up 3% of the French population.[2] A renewed interest in Protestantism has been brought by numerousEvangelical Protestants, while the membership of Calvinist and Lutheran churches has stagnated; many of the latter two confessions have merged into theUnited Protestant Church of France.
A Christian sect or movement, sometimes characterized asproto-Protestant, organized around the teachings ofPeter Waldo, a wealthy merchant ofLyon who lived in the 12th century. The Waldensians later moved to Northern Italy, where they experienced near decimation from Catholic authorities until the Reformation, when they affiliated with theCalvinists and other Reformed Christian groups ofSwitzerland,Germany andFrance. In theDuchy of Savoy, the Waldensians frequently faced persecution when "Sun King"Louis XIV of France put the dukes under pressure to eradicate all Protestant presence across his borders during theSavoyard–Waldensian wars (1655–1690). The group still exists inItaly,Germany,Brazil and theUnited States.
TheHuguenots of theReformed Church of France were followers ofJohn Calvin, and became the major Protestant sect in France. A large portion of the population died in massacres or were deported from French territory following the Revocation of theEdict of Nantes in 1685. Today, the Huguenots number about one million, or about two percent of the population; They are most concentrated in southeastern France and theCévennes region in the south. The Calvinist congregations inAlsace andMoselle are organised as theProtestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (EPRAL).
Lutherans formed a minority among the overall French Protestants. Their congregations were strengthened by Lutheran immigrants, mostly settling in economically prosperous places. With the French conquest of German-speaking regions along the Rhine beginning in the 17th century, the Kingdom acquired significant Lutheran populations. Under Napoleonic religious legislation of 1801 and 1802 also French Lutheranism was reorganized forming theÉglise de la Confession d'Augsbourg de France, established as a nationwide synod and body. It renamed asEvangelical Lutheran Church of France in 1906. In 1872, theProtestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (EPCAAL) had branched off, competent since for most Lutheran congregations in Alsace and Moselle.
In a study regarding the various religions of France, based on 51 surveys held by theIFOP in the period 2011-2014, so based on a sample of 51.770 answers, there were 17.4% of Protestants in theBas-Rhin, 7.3% in theHaut-Rhin, 7.2% in theGard, 6.8% in theDrôme and 4.2% in theArdèche. In the other departments this presence is residual, with, for example, only 0.5% inCôte-d'Or and in theCôtes-d'Armor.[3]
Under his rule, the Edict of Nantes which granted rights to Huguenots was abolished. The revocation effectively forced Huguenots to emigrate or convert in a wave of dragonnades. Louis XIV managed to virtually destroy the French Protestant minority, which had survived more than 150 years of wars and persecution under previous French kings.
Persecution formally stopped with theEdict of Versailles in 1787, although it was not until theDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 that Protestants were fully emancipated.
In 1927 some congregations of EPCAAL branched off and established a separateEvangelical Lutheran church and synod for France and Belgium. Many Evangelical Protestant currents would be established in France in the post-WWII period, many of which are part of charismatic or Pentecostal movements. These movements often succeeded older and smaller movements that were largely indigenous or established through the efforts of European, mainly British, Evangelicals.
In October 1985, to commemorate the tercentenary of theRevocation of the Edict of Nantes,François Mitterrand as president of France formally apologised to the descendants ofHuguenots around the world for past governmental persecution of their forebears.[4] At the same time, a special postage stamp was released to honour the Huguenots. In a recognition of sorts of their formerly abused rights, the stamp states that France is the home of the Huguenots ("Accueil des Huguenots").
While Protestantism is declining in much of Lutheran Europe,[5][6] France may be an exception,[7] where it now is claimed to be stable in number or even growing slightly.[7]
Protestants form a minority of 3% in France. Various churches shaped byEvangelicalism have been the main reason behind the current rise of Protestantism in the country. On the other hand,Calvinists andLutherans are declining, and in 2013 large parts of these groups merged into theUnited Protestant Church of France.
In 2019, it was reported that a new Evangelical church is built every 10 days and Evangelicanism now counts 700,000 followers across France.[8]
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