On what date was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy adopted?

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was adopted on 12 July 1790. This revolutionary law reorganized the Catholic Church in France and placed its clergy under substantial control of the state.

The measure divided France into a new system of dioceses, made bishops and parish priests elected offices, and required clergy to swear an oath to the constitution. It followed earlier revolutionary policies that nationalized Church lands and suppressed monastic institutions, reflecting the Assembly’s urgent need for revenue and administrative uniformity.

The law created a deep religious and political schism. Clergy who accepted the oath became known as constitutional priests, while those who refused were called refractory or non-juring priests. Pope Pius VI condemned the arrangement, and Louis XVI’s reluctant approval did not resolve the conflict. The division contributed to resistance in strongly Catholic regions, including the Vendée, and remained a major source of tension until Napoleon’s Concordat with the papacy in 1801.