The Church in France
After the first French Latter-day Saints were baptized in 1849, Church members supported one another and shared the gospel with friends and family, holding to their faith despite the challenges of mission closures, world wars, and economic hardships over the next century. During the 1960s, Church membership in France increased fivefold, and the Paris France Temple was dedicated in 2017.
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History of the Church in France
When missionaries first arrived in France in 1849, they found interested listeners among religious dissenters and cultural outsiders. One early convert, Louis Bertrand, would lead the French Mission until it closed in 1864.
Missionaries returned to France in 1908, but world wars and economic hardship limited the Church’s presence for the next four decades. Faithful French Saints such as Léon Fargier and Eveline Kleinert helped carry the Church through the difficulties of World War II.
After the war, the Church established a stronger foundation in France. Church President David O. McKay announced that a temple in which ceremonies would be performed in French would be built in Switzerland, the Church gained legal recognition in France, and Church literature was translated and published in French. During the 1960s, Church membership increased fivefold as missionaries and members worked to spread the gospel. In 1975, the first stake in France was organized in Paris.
Since the 1970s, French Saints have prayed for a temple in their own country. In 2011, Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, announced that a temple would be built near Paris. Members in the area held open houses to help their neighbors understand the temple project. The Paris France Temple was dedicated in May 2017.
Stories of Faith
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Notes
- Bertrand, Louis A. Memoirs of a Mormon. Translated by Gaston Chappuis. Self-published, n.d.
- Chard, Gary R. “A History of the French Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1850–1960.” Master’s thesis, Utah State University, 1965.
- Caussé, Gérald. “It Is All about People.” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 111–13.
- Euvrard, Christian. L’Eglise en France. eglisedejesuschrist.fr/leglise-en-france.
- Gibbs, Linda Jones. Harvesting the Light: The Paris Art Mission and Beginnings of Utah Impressionism. Salt Lake City: Museum of Church History and Art, 1987.
- Lemble, Jean. Dieu et les Français: Les Saints des Derniers Jours Francophones. Paris: Liahona, 1986.
- Marie, Alain. “Léon Fargier: His Faith Wouldn’t Go Underground.” Ensign, Sept. 1991, 29–31.
- McClellan, Richard D. “Not Your Average French Communist Mormon: A Short History of Louis A. Bertrand.” Mormon Historical Studies, vol. 1, no. 1 (2000): 3–24.
- Road to Zion: France. Documentary series, BYU Broadcasting, 2009.