(July 12, 1790) Act, passed by the National Assembly during the French Revolution , that subordinated the Roman Catholic church in France to the state.
Under its provisions, enfranchised citizens would elect bishops and parish priests and the state would pay the clergy's wages. The act soon provoked opposition, and when the National Assembly ordered the clergy to take an oath supporting the Civil Constitution, many refused. The resulting schism within the French church caused many devout Catholics to turn against the Revolution.