12 juin 1839
17 août 1911
Arrêté du 12 juin 1839 portant création de la direction des cultes. Décret du 17 août 1911 portant suppression de l’administration des cultes.
Direction générale de l’administration des cultes
Direction de l’administration des cultes
Direction générale des cultes
Direction des cultes
France. Direction des cultes (1839-1911)
Quinze directeurs de l’administration des cultes se succèdent entre 1839 et 1911 :
1839-1847 : Pierre Dessauret (1794-1869)
1847-1848 : Louis Henri Moulin (né en 1802)
1848-1850 : Jean Louis Eugène Durieu (1800-1874)
1850-1862 : Antoine Aimé Alphonse de Contencin (1802-1862)
1862-1870 : François Eugène Victor Auguste Hamille (né en 1812)
1872-1879 : Adolphe Tardif (1824-1889)
1873 : M. Fourtou
1879 : Julien Édouard Laferrière (1841-1901)
1879-1881 : Émile Flourens (1841-1920)
1881-1882 : Jules Antoine Castagnary (1830-1888)
1882-1885 : Émile Flourens (1841-1920)
1885-1887 : Georges Bousquet (né en 1846)
1887-1906 : Charles-Frédéric Dumay (1843-1906)
1906 : Paul-Victor Magny (né en 1854)
1906-1907 : Théodore Tissier
1907-1911 : Louis-Gédéon Méjan (né en 1854)
Sous la Monarchie de Juillet, la gestion des cultes est reconcentrée en une direction (arrêté du 12 juin 1839) constituée d’un bureau de l’enregistrement et des archives, et de trois divisions. La même année, l’arrêté du 1er octobre crée un conseil d’administration au sein des cultes qui se compose du directeur, des chefs de division et du chef de cabinet.
Les arrêtés des 5 et 16 juin 1840 et le règlement du 22 octobre 1841 réforment cette organisation dès l’année suivante. La direction des cultes est alors divisée en quatre sections et sept bureaux :
Première section : culte catholique
- 1er bureau : enregistrement et archives ;
- 2e bureau : personnel et affaires de police ecclésiastique.
Deuxième section : culte catholique
- 1er bureau : affaires catholiques d’intérêt diocésain ;
- 2e bureau : service paroissial, intérêts matériels des congrégations religieuses.
Troisième section : cultes non catholiques
Un bureau.
Quatrième section : comptabilité des cultes
- 1er bureau : opérations centrales, liquidations, ordonnances ;
- 2e bureau : écriture et tenue des livres.
L’ordonnance royale du 24 décembre 1844 transforme ces sections en sous-directions, puis la direction devient direction générale des cultes le 24 novembre 1847.
Lors de la proclamation de la Seconde République, la direction générale des cultes est maintenu par l’arrêté de Carnot du 29 février 1848. Attachée au ministère de la Justice depuis 1834, elle est alors transférée au ministère de l’Instruction publique. L’arrêté du 23 mars 1848 l’organise en trois divisions :
Première division :
- 1er bureau : affaires d’administration générale ; secrétariat ;
- 2e bureau : comptabilité des cultes.
Deuxième division :
-1er bureau : personnel et affaires de police ecclésiastique ;
- 2e bureau : service diocésain et paroissial.
Troisième division : cultes non catholiques.
La direction générale des cultes est réorganisée par l’arrêté du 10 mars 1849. Outre le cabinet du directeur général et le bureau de la comptabilité, la direction comprend trois divisions :
Première division :
- 1er bureau : administration temporelle des édifices diocésains ;
- 2e bureau : travaux diocésains ;
Deuxième division : affaires paroissiales et congrégations ;
Troisième division : cultes non catholiques. Cette division redevient très vite un simple bureau (16 avril 1849).
La politique du directeur général Durieu entre 1848 et 1850 renforce et pérennise l’organisation du service des édifices diocésains qui bénéficient d’un bureau spécifique, et d’une commission rattachée au cabinet du directeur général. Renommée "direction des cultes" le 25 avril 1850, la direction redevient "direction générale" par le décret organique du 7 mai 1852.
Sous le Second Empire, l’administration des cultes s’organise en deux divisions pour le culte catholique et une division pour la comptabilité, accompagnées d’une sous-direction pour les cultes non catholiques (décret du 15 janvier 1859).
À noter que les services des cultes d’Algérie sont rattachés à la direction générale des cultes par le décret du 10 décembre 1860. Plus tard, la gestion du culte musulman sera prise en charge par l’État, et sera déléguée au gouverneur général de l’Algérie (décrets des 26 et 28 septembre 1881).
En 1862, la direction générale des cultes est supprimée par le décret du 4 juillet, et remplacée le 26 juillet 1862 une "direction des cultes", qui est rattachée au ministère de la Justice le 23 juin 1863.
Avec la Troisième République, la direction des cultes retourne dans le giron du ministère de l’Instruction publique (4 septembre 1870), sous le ministère de Jules Simon.
L’année suivante, la loi de finance du 16 septembre 1871 supprime le poste de directeur des cultes, et la sous-direction des cultes non catholiques devient une division (arrêté du 20 octobre 1871). Le service des cultes est alors composé de sept bureaux répartis en quatre divisions. C’est à cette époque que le conseil d’administration des cultes acquiert un rôle important en permettant la cohésion du service en l’absence de directeur.
Entre le 18 et le 25 mai 1873, les cultes deviennent brièvement un ministère à part entière, avant d'être de nouveau rattaché au ministère de l’Instruction publique, puis de l’Intérieur le 4 janvier 1879. La direction générale des cultes est rétablie le 27 janvier 1879, puis supprimée le 15 novembre 1881 après le départ du directeur Flourens.
En 1881, un arrêté charge le conseiller d’État Castagnary de réorganiser le service. Le décret du 3 février 1882 supprime le titre de chef de division et divise le service en neuf bureaux :
cinq bureaux pour le culte catholique :
- 1er bureau : cabinet, affaires réservées, affaires contentieuses, pourvois et conflits, pensions et secours ;
- 2e bureau : personnel ecclésiastique ;
- 3e bureau : biens des fabriques, cures et succursales, congrégations, dons et legs, contrôle administratif ;
- 4e bureau : secours aux édifices paroissiaux et tutelle des établissements diocésains :
- 5e bureau : édifices diocésains ;
un bureau pour les cultes non catholiques ;
deux bureaux pour la comptabilité ;
un bureau pour la bibliothèque et les archives.
De nouveau "direction générale des cultes" par le décret du 8 février 1882, l'administration est temporairement rattachée au ministère de la Justice (30 janvier 1882), avant de changer de nombreuses fois de ministère jusqu’au 3 avril 1885, date à laquelle la "direction générale" est à nouveau supprimée avec le second départ de Flourens.
Le 26 septembre 1887, Dumay prend la direction du service des cultes, poste qu'il occupera pendant près de vingt ans.
Le décret du 18 avril 1897 réorganise le service en seulement sept bureaux :
1er bureau : cabinet du directeur, affaires réservées et contentieuses ;
2e bureau : police du clergé et nominations ecclésiastiques ;
3e bureau : biens des fabriques, cures et succursales, congrégations autorisées, dons et legs, contrôle administratif ;
4e bureau : édifices paroissiaux, travaux, subventions, circonscriptions ecclésiastiques ;
5e bureau : édifices diocésains, comité des inspecteurs généraux des édifices diocésains ;
6e bureau : administration des cultes non catholiques ;
7e bureau : opérations centrales, liquidations, ordonnancement, pensions, personnel des gens de service et matériel de la direction, bibliothèque, archives, ampliations.
L’organigramme est modifié par le décret du 15 janvier 1899, date à laquelle Dumay est nommé directeur général, puis par celui du 31 août 1902 qui divise le 3e bureau en deux sections :
1ère section : biens des fabriques, cures et succursales, acquisitions et échanges, dons et legs concernant ces établissements ;
2e section : biens des congrégations religieuses autorisées et surveillance des congrégations non autorisées.
La loi du 9 décembre 1905 acte la séparation des Églises et de l’État mais l’administration des cultes ne disparaît pas immédiatement. Le directeur Dumay est mis en congé le 16 avril 1906 ; le décret du 17 avril 1906 réduit le service de sept à trois bureaux :
1er bureau : séparation des Églises et de l’État, tutelle des établissements ecclésiastiques pendant la transition ;
2e bureau : congrégations religieuses ;
3e bureau : liquidation des pensions et allocations, secours aux anciens ministres du culte et à leur famille, visas des certificats de dépenses militaires, comptabilité, archives.
Les édifices paroissiaux et diocésains (anciens 4e et 5e bureaux) deviennent le bureau des édifices cultuels et transférés au ministère des Beaux-Arts.
Méjan est nommé à la direction de la liquidation de l’administration des cultes le 12 mars 1907, avec comme objectif d’organiser la redistribution de certaines compétences à d’autres services (dont le bureau des cultes du ministère de l'Intérieur). L'administration des cultes est définitivement supprimée par le décret décret du 17 août 1911.
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