The Temple of Reason was, during the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, a temple for a new belief system created to replace Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

: the Cult of Reason

Cult of Reason

The Cult of Reason was an atheistic belief system established in France and intended as a replacement for Christianity during the French Revolution.-Origins:...

, which were based on the ideals of atheism and humanocentrism. This "religion" was supposed to be universal and to spread the ideas of the revolution, summarized in its "Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Liberté, égalité, fraternité, French for "Liberty, equality, fraternity ", is the national motto of France, and is a typical example of a tripartite motto. Although it finds its origins in the French Revolution, it was then only one motto among others and was not institutionalized until the Third...

" motto, which was also inscribed on the Temples.

Services

The symbols of Christianity were covered up and they were replaced by the symbols of the Cult of Reason. In the Churches of Reason, there were specially created services that were meant to replace the Christian liturgy

Christian liturgy

A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....

.

For instance, at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on November 10, 1793, a special ritual was held for the "Feast of Reason": the nave had an improvised mountain on which stood a Greek temple dedicated to Philosophy and decorated with busts of philosophers. At the base of the mountain was located an altar dedicated to Reason, in front of which was located a torch of Truth. The ceremony included the crowd paying hommage to an actress dressed in blue, white, red (the colours of the Republic), personificating Liberty.

Churches transformed into Temples of Reason

After Catholicism was banned in 1792, many of its churches were turned into Temples of Reason, including:

• the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (November 10, 1793)
• Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris
• Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
• the basilique Saint-Denis,
• the church of Les Invalides
  Les Invalides
  Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
  
  ,
• the church of Thomas d'Aquino,
• the Panthéon de Paris,
• the church Saint Pierre from Montmartre,
• the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims,
• the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes
  Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes
  Troyes Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, located in the town of Troyes in Champagne. It is the seat of the Bishop of Troyes.-Building history and description:...
  
  ,
• the Notre Dame de Versailles Church,
• Église Saint-Pierre de Caen,
• and many others