In the 19th century, mission crosses sprang up across rural France. They bore witness to the Catholic reconquest that followed the religious persecution of the revolutionary period. Erected during village processions from the 1810s to the 1890s, they stood at the edges of fields or in town centers.
When Secularism Erases History
Today, certain activist groups are attempting to have them removed – sometimes successfully – on the grounds that their presence in public spaces violates the principle of secularism, even though these crosses have stood there for several centuries.
The case of the Breton calvary at Saint-Divy, in Finistère, is emblematic. The monument, which depicts Christ accompanied by the Virgin Mary and Saint John, was erected in the 17th century. In 1967, to preserve it, the upper part of the calvary was moved to the Saint-Divy cemetery, separated from its granite base, which remained by the roadside. In 2022, the municipality installed a replica on the original site. The monument has just been ruled illegal by the Rennes Administrative Court. According to the court, the replica constitutes a new installation and, as such, is prohibited by the 1905 Law on the Separation of Church and State, which bans the construction of new religious symbols in public spaces. The court has therefore ordered its removal.
The legal actions are brought by relentless activists from secular associations, including local committees of La Libre Pensée with ties to Masonic lodges. They demand an uncompromising interpretation of the 1905 law and deliberately dismiss the heritage, artistic and historical significance of the crosses.
Anti-Christian sentiment is clearly part of their activism. As Yvon Ollivier, president of Koun Breizh – an association dedicated to preserving Breton heritage – explained to Le Figaro, “Our Breton heritage is largely religious or spiritual in nature, with its menhirs, chapels and calvaries.” He points out that the calvaries are currently awaiting classification by UNESCO. But curiously, secular organizations do not target the menhirs, which could also be considered religious symbols in public spaces. What appears to trouble them is the continued visibility of Christianity.
These legal victories are made possible by zealous judges all too eager to erase symbols of France’s historical Christian heritage – sometimes against the wishes of local residents deeply attached to the crosses. In Saint-Divy, the majority of residents support keeping the calvary.
The Revival of a Popular Heritage
Throughout France, the issue of preserving crosses in public spaces has become a hot-button topic. SOS Calvaires, an association dedicated to their preservation and restoration, was founded in 1987, relaunched in 2014 and has since seen a surge in popularity.
This is an urgent matter. Crosses and wayside shrines – often small but numerous – are easily threatened by roadworks or the redevelopment of village squares. Their sheer number can make them seem inexhaustible. Yet each one is unique. “The National Geographic Institute’s (IGN) registry lists 150,000 wayside shrines in France. But in reality, if you count all the wayside crosses and similar monuments, there are three to four times as many”, explains Louis Guéry, president of SOS Calvaires.
His association has launched a crowdsourced app that allows people to report any crosses or wayside shrines they come across. Many are turning up that are not listed by the IGN. This can make it difficult to prove that they were erected before 1905, potentially leaving them vulnerable in legal battles.
While religious practice in France, as elsewhere in Europe, is on the decline, local attachment to these religious symbols remains strong. They embody a history and an identity shaped by Christianity. In Corsica, the administrative decision to remove a cross that had been rebuilt after more than 30 years of absence in the village of Quasquara, in the south of the island, has sparked intense controversy. A petition has gathered more than 50,000 signatures. “Secularism does not require the erasure of local memory or of cultural symbols that are part of Corsica’s history”, its proponents argue. The legal battle is still ongoing.
This sometimes leads to disputes worthy of those depicted by Guareschi in The Little World of Don Camillo. The crosses are erected, removed, then return only to be taken down again. These local battles show how strongly people still feel about the crosses.
SOS Calvaires sometimes collaborates with the Fondation du Patrimoine and reports successful fundraising campaigns to restore crosses. The issue inspires considerable support, both through donations and volunteer work. Young people are also volunteering for restoration projects. In a world that no longer quite knows where it is headed, the act of restoring a damaged cross and re-erecting it at a crossroads carries deep symbolic meaning.
