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Church of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, Paris The church of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, Paris, has long been the flagship of traditionalism in France. The Society of St.Pius X succeeded in seizing control of the historic church in 1977. At the time the orignial parish priest had announced that the doors of the church were to be opened on only two days of the week due to the dwindling congregation, which numbered about 40. The Society decided they could put the church to much better use, and in February of that year hundreds of traditionalists marched on the church during a celebration of the new Mass. The parish priest was escorted away, the table used for the new Mass was removed, and solemn high Mass was celebrated once again at the high altar. In France church properties are owned not by the Church but by local authorities, and because of the nature of French law the people can constructively take possession of essentially abandoned churches. Today over 5000 faithful traditionalists attend the church of St Nicolas.
In December 2003 an attempt was made by the Green Party and various other political manipulators to oust the current "squatters" at St Nicolas and turn the church into a permanent rallying point for illegal immigrants. Over the preceding weeks the church was subjected to continual petty vandalism in an attempt to intimidate the faithful, and on 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, some 150 illegal immigrant workers occupied the church for several hours, attracting intense media attention:
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