Une tentative d’enfermement de l’Église : les arrêtés municipaux d’interdiction des processions extérieures sous la République concordataire (1870-1905)

During the 19th century, the Catholic Church strived to reconquer the souls and the public space. For that, it increased the different external ceremonies. This reconquest, based on an restrictive interpretation of the Concordat, was more and more contested by the anticlericalists. Strong of their electoral successes and of the recovery of the powers of the State in 1879, the Republicans Mayors multiplied the procession banning laws, and forced the Government to change its reading of the Concordat. Those historical events, which highlight the loss of power of the churches, are actively involved in the secularization of the French society and to the implementation of the 1905 law.