Protectorate of the Holy See

Historical event in Mandate Palestine

For nearly 400 years France held a special status in the Ottoman Empire called the French Protectorate of Jerusalem, which was part of the capitulation system in the empire. The capitulations were unilaterally abolished by Turkey in 1914, at the start of the First World War.

Following this, France attempted to restore the protectorate and to gain possession of parts of Palestine; but for all practical purpose the French role in Palestine came to an end in 1918 with the British takeover of Palestine. The last vestiges of the protectorate exercised by France for four centuries over the “Latin” Christians of the former Ottoman Empire were formally abolished by article 28 of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). The era of the privileged French presence in Palestine and more specifically in Jerusalem had come to an end.[1] However, thanks to the Holy See, France continued to enjoy liturgical honors in Mandatory Palestine until 1924, when the honors were abolished.[2]

France did not willingly accept the loss of its special status in the Middle East, and continues to take a special interest in the area, especially the French claims in Jerusalem.

## History

[edit]

In 1535, the Ottoman Suleiman the Magnificent granted Francis I of France, whose kingdom was dubbed the “Elder Daughter of the Church”, the right to protect his subjects residing in the Ottoman Empire. This protection was expanded in 1740 both individually and collectively to cover all the members of the clergy adhering to the Latin rite settled in the Levant, regardless of nationality or institution. These legal privileges were extended by custom to Orthodox Christians, and came to be known as the French Protectorate of Jerusalem. Through what became known as capitulations, France extracted in the 16th and then in the 18th centuries from the weakened Empire individual and religious freedom for French subjects, providing the legal basis of the protectorate system.

On 9 September 1914, upon the outbreak of war in Europe, the Ottoman government unilaterally abolished the capitulations system.

At the San Remo conference (19-26 April 1920), the Mandate for Palestine was allocated by the League of Nations to Great Britain. France sought a continuation of its religious protectorate in Palestine but Italy and Great Britain opposed it. France lost the religious protectorate but, due to the Holy See, continued to enjoy liturgical honors in Mandatory Palestine until 1924, when the honors were abolished.[2] The precise boundaries of all territories, including that of the British Mandate for Palestine, were left unspecified, to "be determined by the Principal Allied Powers".[3] During that time, the British were in control of Palestine and the France was given control of Syria and Lebanon, and a mandate.[4][5][1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Catherine Nicault, "The End of the French Religious Protectorate in Jerusalem (1918–1924)" (Bulletin du Centre de recherché français à Jérusalem, No. 4, March 1999, pp. 77–92).
2. ^ a b Custodia Terrae Sanctae: "The Question of the Holy Places."
3. ^ San Remo Resolution.
4. ^ The Palestine Order in LoN Council - Mandatory order (10 August 1922).
5. ^ Sergio I. Minerbi, The Vatican and Zionism: Conflict in the Holy Land, 1895–1925 (ISBN 0-19-505892-5).

* v
* t
* e

Holy See

* Apostolic see of Pope Leo XIV as bishop of the Diocese of Rome
* Sovereignty of Vatican City
* Legal status of the Holy See

History|

* Apostolic see
* Primacy of Peter
* History of papal primacy
* Patrimony of Saint Peter
* Old St. Peter's Basilica
* Lateran Palace
* Museum
* Duchy of Rome
* Donation of Sutri
* Donation of Pepin
* Avignon Papacy
* Papal States
* Temporal power
* Investiture Controversy
* Age of Revolution
* "Prisoner in the Vatican"
* Savoyard era
* Vatican City
* Lateran Treaty
* World War II
* Warsaw Pact

Sovereign
judicial entity
under
international law
(Legal status)|

| Officials|

* Pope Leo XIV
* Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin
* Cardinals
* List
* Advisers

|

Governance|

* Secretariat of State
* College of Cardinals
* Conclave

Government|

* Roman Curia
* Apostolic Camera
* Commissions
* For Vatican City State
* Councils
* Congregations
* Dicasteries

Foreign affairs
(Multilateral policy)|

* Section for Relations with States
* To the Holy See
* Of the Holy See
* Heads
* Italy
* United Nations
* Permanent Observer
* in Geneva
* European Union
* Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe
* Apostolic nunciature
* Nuncio
* Treaties
* Concordats

Diocese
of Rome
with universal
full communion
(Papal primacy)|

| Synods|

* Ordinary general assemblies
* Extraordinary general assemblies
* Special assemblies

|

Ecclesiastical
province of Rome
(Vicariate: Rome,
Vatican City)|

| Suburbicarian sees|

* Ostia
* Velletri–Segni
* Porto–Santa Rufina
* Frascati
* Palestrina
* Albano
* Sabina–Poggio Mirteto

|

Territorial abbeys|

* Monte Cassino
* Subiaco

Suffragan dioceses|

* Gaeta
* Anagni-Alatri
* Civita Castellana
* Civitavecchia-Tarquinia
* Frosinone-Veroli-Ferentino
* Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno
* Rieti
* Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo
* Tivoli
* Viterbo

Properties
including
extra-
territoriality|

| Inside
Rome|

Major basilicas|

* St. Peter's Basilica
* Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
* Santa Maria Maggiore
* Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

|

* Lateran Palace
* Lateran University
* Scala Sancta
* Sancta Sanctorum
* Adjoining buildings
* Palace of Saint Callixtus
* Gianicolo Hill area
* Pontifical Urban University
* Pontifical North American College
* Bambino Gesù Hospital
* Palazzo della Cancelleria
* Palace of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
* Palace of the Holy Office
* Palace of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
* Palazzo Pio
* Palazzo Maffei Marescotti (Palace of the Vicariate}
* Pontifical Roman Minor Seminary
* Collegio Teutonico
* Teutonic Cemetery
* Benedictine monastery
* Pontifical Oratory of San Paolo
* Beda College
* Paul VI Audience Hall
* St. Peter's Square

Non-
extraterritorial|

* Palace of the Holy Apostles
* Palace of San Carlo ai Catinari
* Collegio Bellarmino
* Archaeological Institute
* Pontifical Oriental Institute
* Pontifical Lombard Seminary
* Russian College
* Two Palaces of Sant'Apollinare
* House of Retreat for the Clergy of Saints John and Paul
* Nympheum of Nero

|

Outside
Rome|

* Palace of Castel Gandolfo
* Papal farm
* Gardens of the Villa Cybo
* Villa Barberini
* Adjacent gardens
* Pontifical College Josephinum
* Summer estate of Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide
* Vatican Radio antennae area of Santa Maria di Galeria

| Non-
extraterritorial|

* Basilica della Santa Casa
* Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
* Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua

|

See also|

* Acta Apostolicae Sedis
* Awards
* Papal household
* Peter's Pence
* Roman Rota
* Apostolic Penitentiary
* Apostolic Signatura
* Swiss Guard
* Vatican.va

* Vatican City portal
* Catholic Church portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template