Gallican

Gallican is an adjective of historical and ecclesiastical use, derived from Gaul, the Roman-era region that roughly corresponds to modern France. In general usage, it describes things associated with Gaul or medieval or early modern France, such as Gallican liturgy, Gallican culture, or Gallican art. In ecclesiastical contexts, Gallican often refers to the Church in France or to doctrines and practices associated with it.

The Gallican Rite, or Gallican liturgy, was a distinct medieval liturgical tradition used in parts of the Frankish and French church. It included certain regional prayers and calendar revisions and was gradually romanized as the Roman Rite gained prominence in the 11th to 12th centuries.

The term is also strongly linked to Gallicanism, a historical doctrine regarding the authority of the Catholic Church in France. Gallicanism asserted limits on papal authority and emphasized the church's national liberties, the authority of synods or the king in church governance, and the authority of general councils. It represented a stance in opposition to Ultramontanism, which supported papal centralization. Gallican ideas influenced church-state relations in early modern France and fed into debates over church reform and state sovereignty. The movement waned as papal authority and centralized church structure expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries, though it periodically resurfaced in later discussions of church governance.

In contemporary usage, Gallican is mainly encountered in historical or liturgical contexts, with the more common term for related concepts often being Gaulish or Gallic.