Protectorate of the Holy See
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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.
