Following an historical approach toward French “laïcité”, this article shows how the use of the term converges with and diverges from the social reality in France. It examines, on the one hand, how a “narrative laïcité” may emerge from political events, and on the other hand, how this “narrative laïcité” may distance itself from the juridical and political regulation of religious pluralism; that is, from « juridical laïcité ». It also addresses the issue of civil religion in France.