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Religion, Culture and Society:

Roman Catholicism is the faith of more than 90 per cent of French churchgoers. Islam, Protestantism, and Judaism are the next most important religions. During the 19th century, the Christian and Jewish religions were subsidized by the State. In 1905, because of popular opposition to the political influence of the Roman Catholic Church and to Catholic control of public education, legislation prohibited the payment of public funds to the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy. By the provisions of that and subsequent legislation, the French government withdrew official recognition of religious denominations.

The culture of France has profoundly influenced that of the entire Western world, particularly in the areas of art and letters, and Paris has long been regarded as the fountainhead of French culture. France first attained cultural pre-eminence in Europe during the Middle Ages; later, the wealth of the French Crown in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries provided subsidies for art on a scale comparable to that of the papacy in Rome, attracting to Paris many of Europe's most talented artists and craftsmen. Wealth also created a leisured class, which had both the time and the means for developing elegance in dress, manners, architecture, and design. French styles still pervade much of Western culture. In the 20th century French cinema assumed a leading world position.