Conventicle Act (Sweden)

The act outlawed all conventicles, or religious meetings of any kind, outside of the Lutheran Church of Sweden,[1] with the exception of family prayer or worship.

The law only applied to Swedish citizens, while the religious freedom of foreigners was protected by the Tolerance Act.

The law was initiated in 1726 to prevent the popularity of Pietism, which was spreading rapidly in Sweden in the first half of the 18th century, and used against early proponents such as Thomas Leopold, Johan Stendahl, and Peter Spaak.

The new law stipulated that conventicles were not to take place in parallel with the services of the Lutheran Church without prior dispensation.

The Russian Grand Duchy of Finland kept her laws from the Swedish time until changed by the Diet, which abolished the Conventicle Act from 1 July 1870.