Feast of the Supreme Being

Once the French Revolution proceeded to "dechristianize" the country, a void was left wide open for the majority of the population who used to believe in God. Wasn't this a risk to let these souls join the "God and King" movement that was a threat to the Revolution?

Maximilien Robespierre and the Comity of Public Safety came up with a philosophical deist doctrine to replace Catholicism: the Cult of the Supreme Being! The figures of Voltaire and Rousseau were used on prints to give credibility to the cult, even though both were long dead.

On 8 June 1794, the Feast of the Supreme Being took place in Paris. The great artist, Jacques-Louis David was hired to design the ceremonies and Robespierre showed up as the “emissary” of the Supreme Being, wearing a blue gown and holding flowers. In the meantime, guillotine executions continued...