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Supreme being Fete
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Supreme being Fete
Robespierre orders a Festival of the Supreme Being, in the Tuileries and the Champ de Mars, Paris : but he is thought by many to be setting himself up as high priest
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Media ID 4355936
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10201344
1794 Champ Festival Fete Mars Orders Priest Revolution Robespierre Setting Supreme Thought Tuileries
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative print captures the controversial Fête de l'Supreme Being, or Festival of the Supreme Being, which took place in Paris on June 8, 1794, during the French Revolution. The event was instigated by Maximilien Robespierre, then a powerful figure in the revolutionary government, who sought to promote the cult of the Supreme Being as a means of bolstering revolutionary fervor and unifying the people. The scene depicted in the print shows Robespierre, dressed in priestly robes and seated on a throne, presiding over the festivities in the Tuileries Garden and the Champ de Mars. Surrounded by a throng of citizens, he raises his arms in a gesture of benediction, while a radiant sun and a rainbow arch overhead symbolize the divine presence. However, the festival was met with skepticism and even outright opposition from some quarters. Critics saw Robespierre's role as that of a high priest, and accused him of seeking to establish a new form of religious tyranny. These concerns only grew when it was revealed that the festival's organizers had planned to erect a giant altar, or "Temple of Reason," in Notre-Dame Cathedral. Despite these criticisms, the festival went ahead as planned, with an estimated 200,000 people attending. However, the event ultimately failed to galvanize popular support for the revolutionary cause, and Robespierre's regime began to unravel in the following months. The festival came to be seen as a misguided and ill-advised attempt to impose a new form of religious orthodoxy on the French people. This historic print offers a fascinating glimpse into a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, and the complex interplay of politics, religion, and popular sentiment during this tumultuous period.
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