Russian Freemasonry 5

Russian Freemasonry 5

This writer wishes to acknowledge that while not all of this paper should be

in quotation marks with one big footnote to Bro. Telepneff, a great deal of

the material and many phrases have been used without the same. Any praise

of merit for this article belongs entirely to the original writer. This writer

only wishes to make this information available to the readers to help inform

them of Russian Freemasonry.

 

The two other papers are: 38 A.Q.C. 6, "Some Aspects of Russian

Freemasonry during the Reign of the Emperor Alexander I" (1925) and 39

A.Q.C. 174, "A Few Pages from the History of Swedish Freemasonry in

Russia," (1926).

 

The article in 35 A.Q.C. carries an extensive bibliography of 19 principal

Russian works on Freemasonry. Many of these works are available in the

British Museum.

 

All three volumes of A.Q.C. were published by W.J. Parrett, Ltd., Printers,

Margate.

 

3. 35 A.Q.C. at 263.

 

4. Ibid.

 

5. Ibid, at 272.

 

6. Oxford University Press, 1963, New York at Page 326-327.

 

7. 35 A.Q.C. at 275.

 

8. Vladimir, The Great (St. Vladimis Svyatoslavich, 956-1015), was the first

Christian sovereign of Russia. He consolidated the Russian realm from the

Baltic to the Ukraine with Kiev as his capital. He married the sister of

Byzantine Emperor Basil II, accepted Christianity, and ordered the

conversion to Christianity of his subjects.

 

9. 35 A.Q.C. At 291.

 

10. 38 A.Q.C. At 66. 

Acknowledgments by the author:

 

This writer wishes to acknowledge that while not all of this paper should be

in quotation marks with one big footnote to Bro. Telepneff, a great deal of

the material and many phrases have been used without the same. Any praise

of merit of this article belongs entirely to the original writer. This writer only

wishes to make this information available to the readers to help inform them

of Russian Freemasonry.

 

The two other papers are: 38 A.Q.C. 6, "Some Aspects of Russian

Freemasonry during the Reign of the Emperor Alexander 1" (1925) and 39

A.Q.C. 174, "A few Pages from the History of Swedish Freemasonry in

Russia, " (1926).

 

The article in 35 A.Q.C. carries an extensive bibliography of 19 principal

Russian works on Freemasonry. Many of these works are available in the

British Museum.

 

All three volumes of A.Q.C. were published by W. J. Parrett, Ltd., Printers,

Margate.

 

I wish to acknowledge an e-mail I received from Cyrill Gluskkoff on

October 19, 1997 which corrected two errors in my paper. Most importantly

he advised:

 

"The city that Peter I had built was named by him Sanct Peterburg in honor

of the saint after whom he was named. It was only during the war with

Germany that the German sounding name of Sanct Peterburg was changed in

1914 to the purely Russian name of Petrograd (not a German name)

reflecting the animosity towards the enemy. In 1924 the city was renamed

Leningrad by the Communists in honor of their revolutionary dictator."

Valerian Obolensky

RUSSIANS IN EXILE

- The History Of a Diaspora -

Part II: Before the Revolution

 

Decembrists and Russian Freemasons

 

 

 

The Decembrists and freemasons played a very important role in Russian

history, because they were the only 'revolutionaries' that ever contributed

something to the well-being of the people of Russia. Many Decembrists and

freemasons were killed or imprisoned; some managed to escape abroad,

where they lived in exile.

 

To be able to show what role Russian freemasons' lodges have played in

Russian politics, it seems necessary to explain what freemasonry is.

What is freemasonry? The notion 'freemasonry' or 'masonry' has several

meanings, each in a different level. First of all freemasonry is an

organization, a union of freemasons, of which one can become a member,

just like every other club. Freemasonry is however more seclusive.

After application one is only embraced after an examination, and the

entering itself is a ritual inauguration, about which secrecy is kept. Not

everyone is admitted, but the freemasons say that race or religion, social

standard or status are of no importance.

 

Second, the notion 'freemasonry' is synonymous with a certain atmosphere,

that is the spiritual climate in which freemasons live and work. He who

wants to become a freemason has to be motivated to go into his

Weltanschauung and philosophy of life. It is required that he independently

wants to search for truth, meaning and harmony.

 

The tools of the freemasons are symbols of notions like 'justice' (carpenter's

square), 'radiation' (compass) and 'equality' (spirit level). Another symbol is

the rough-hewn stone, which the freemason has to tool into the cubic stone.

The 'manual' of freemasonry is the ritual with its symbols. The 'subject

material' is divided into three parts A inaugural degrees. Through these three

degrees, which are connected and form one unity, one is inaugurated, from

pupil to mate to master. Every freemason however realizes that he always

will stay a pupil, always will make mistakes, so that he constantly has to

refine himself.

 

The patron of the Order is St. John. The gatherings outside the temple are

called v comparitions', in which certain subjects are discussed. Sometimes

one of the brothers submits a paper, sometimes non- members are asked to

read. Ideally in the lodge one doesn't speak about politics or religious

differences, because these are subjects which usually lead to discord.

Everyones point of view just has to be respected.

Besides all serious matters one also finds cosyness in the lodge, because

after the comparition the freemasons sit together, having a cup of coffee, a

drink, or sometimes a meal.

 

It is said that freemasonry was brought to Russia by Peter the Great, but

that's not true. The first freemasons in Russia were foreign merchants, who

were attracted by Peter's new capital.

 

In 1731 Captain John Philips of the English Grand Lodge was appointed

Provincial Grand Master of Russia. In 1740 the same title was granted to the

later Prussian Field Marshall James Keith, who served in the Russian army.

This Scottish laird was one of the most interesting personalities of his time.

Being a supporter of the Stuarts he had to go in exile, and Philips V

introduced him to the Russian Court. The Russian freemasons' lodges

consisted in those days of English seamen and merchants and some Russian

aristocrats.

 

A very important freemason was Laurentius Natter, the famous engraver and

diamond worker at the European courts, who came from Florence to St.

Petersburg.

 

Also an important role played Professor Johann Eugen Schwarz from

Moscow, and the eminent writer Nicholas Ivanovich Novikov, who was the

founder of Russian journalism. Two very enlightened men, who not just

contributed very much to freemasonry, but also influenced spiritual life in

entire Russia. Schwarz, a German and Philosophy Professor, founded adult

education centers and teacher training colleges, published school books and

founded hospitals. Novikov also wanted to fight illiteracy and barbarism. He

opened a print shop, published non-specialist and religious works, and

founded a library, which was used by all layers of society. He and his friends

stimulated the education and development of poor, yet gifted young people.

But Novikov was accused of misleading the people, for which he was

imprisoned four years in the Schluesselburg Castle.

Soon a new v Provincial Grand Lodge' was founded, which subsequently was

called v National Grand Lodge'. In this and other independent lodges the high

aristocracy set the tone. Well known freemasons of those days were Count

Roman Vorezov, one of Catharina's protege's, Lieutenant-General Melissino,

the founder of an own lodge, Baron Von Ungern-Sternberg, the Princes

Alexander and Nicholas Troubetzkoy, Gagarin, Dolgorouky, Golitsyn,

Netvitsky and many, many others.

 

However, all these inspired works of the Moscovian nobility raised the

mistrust of the courtiers in St.

 

Petersburg. They said that progression was bad for the Church and the State,

and that the Moscovian freemasons kept arsenals in their cellars, to equip

entire armies. The Chief of the Moscow police was ordered to search

everything thouroughly, and to look for weapons, but nothing was found of

course. Yet all the new institutions were banned, and the founders were

bannished to Siberia.

 

Major Kutuzov's capital was confiscated; he happened to be in Berlin at the

time, so he escaped bannishment. Novikov however was once more thrown

into the dungeons of the Schluesselburg.

 

After the French Revolution the anti-masonic sphere also reached Russia.

Catharina II didn't ban the lodges, but she showed the gentlemen freemasons

that she couldn't approve of their membership of the order, as a result of

which the masonic works were limited. Paul I banned the lodges and in 1 803

Alexander I permitted them again, after which once more lodges were

founded. Grand Duke Constantin, Count Stanislav Potoki, Count Ivan

Vorontsov, Alexander von Wurttemberg, the Chief Treasurer Alexander

Narishkin and a large number of other courtiers entered.

 

In the first half of the 19th century some writers and poets, like Pushkin,

Lermontov and Gogol, became extremely popular. At first Pushkin

sympathized with liberalism and the Decembrists, but later his political

opinions became moderately conservative. Many aristocratic young men

picked up their liberal ideas in Western Europe, and the plans for a palace

revolution became more and more realistic.

 

Alexander I was a freemason and initially he introduced very important

educational reforms and abolished corporal punishment, but less than twenty

years later he himself was one of the most harsh opponents of all progressive

movements. He banned freemasonry, after it had existed in Russia for 90