How did the French Revolutionaries view the relationship between church and state?

The French Revolutionaries had a complex relationship with the Church and State, which evolved significantly over the course of the Revolution. Initially, the Revolutionaries aimed to establish a separation between Church and State, which had been traditionally intertwined in France. They sought to strip the Church of its power and wealth and to establish a new order based on reason, equality, and freedom.

The Revolutionaries viewed the Catholic Church as an institution that had supported the monarchy and aristocracy and had contributed to the oppression of the people. They saw the Church as an obstacle to the creation of a new order based on the principles of the Revolution.

As a result, the Revolutionaries passed a series of laws that aimed to secularize French society and to limit the power of the Church. These laws included the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790), which required all clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the state, and the Law of 7 Ventôse (1795), which abolished all religious holidays and festivals.

However, the Revolutionaries' views on the relationship between Church and State changed over time. Some, like Robespierre, began to see the Church as a valuable moral force that could help to promote the values of the Revolution. Others, like Napoleon Bonaparte, sought to restore the traditional relationship between Church and State.