© 1998 Grande Loge de France

A Preamble to the Great Book of Architecture
of the Grand Lodge of France, covering the years 1789 to 1798.

The Great Book of Architecture, a book containing the minutes of the meetings of all the Lodges of the Grand Lodge of France, is a document that highlights the active participation of many Brethren, particularly in the constitution of new Lodges, and within a Masonic system that is distinct from the Grand Orient of France created in 1773.

The Book testifies to these Brethren maintaining a steadfast position when faced with problems which still confront us today. Such difficulties can be found in the first schism, between 1760 and 1762, then between 1765 and 1766, and until the spring of 1771.

After identifying them again in the Book of minutes, readers can trace them in documents dating from 1799 onwards, notably until the creation of a "Grande Loge Générale Écossaise" in 1804, to understand that the institutional transmission has its rights but that men count just as much, especially when as they did in those troubled times they devote such energy to the building of a masonic organisation, the memory of which is still present in our Brethren's minds today. This document brings us a lot of information, especially as far as history is concerned, but it also provides a minute description of the almost daily life of a fully-fledged Grand Lodge.

From a purely historical viewpoint, the Book allows us to determine the precise date when the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of France adjourned its meetings, following the enactment of the law banning corporative associations. A scholar of Freemasonry, Pierre Chevallier, quotes Thory: "The few remaining original members of the Grand Lodge of France gathered on the 17th of October, 1796, and resumed their work which had been interrupted since 1792 and gathered again on the 27th of December that same year, in a district meeting during which they appointed their Grand Officers and started organizing their correspondence."

Now, one can assert that the meetings of the Very Respectable Grand Lodge were interrupted after the 3rd of October , 1791, and that they were resumed on the 24th of June, 1795, more than a year before the date mentioned by Thory. As for the "few Brethren", this should not be taken at face value since no fewer than forty-two Worshipful Masters gathered at the midwinter St.-John’s feast given by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge on January 7,1797.

Still as far as history is concerned, we may notice the appearance of about ten lodges whose names are not present on the lists drawn up by Alain Le Bihan.

The often repeated assertion that the Grand Lodge of France liked to be called "Grand Lodge of Clermont", or "at the Orient of Clermont" is not confirmed in the text which contains several occurrences of the phrase "the only, unique and primitive Grand Orient of France", thus emphasizing the precedence of the Grand Lodge, as reaffirmed by a reference to regulations dating from 1771 (folio 122). Also recurrent is the phrase "Mother Lodge" (fo136 art. 2, fo159 art. 1).

Article 4, decreed during the meeting when work was resumed, on the 24th of June, 1795, states that "from now on, the Constitutions of the Worshipful Masters are to be paid three hundred pounds, and will be personal and irremovable...". Nevertheless, in April, 1798, the Worshipful Master Cambon asks for a Constitution "in order to erect a temporary lodge under the distinctive title of "Jean-des-Amis-Joyeux" at the Orient of Paris." (fo.165).

It can be easily noticed that the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge used various premises for its meetings or for its banquets, that it maintained a correspondence with a number of masonic locations, notably in Saint-Domingo, and that it paid special attention to the management of its accounts and to the conservation of its archives.

But apart from the historical data that the publication of this document will make available to a larger number of readers instead of reserving them for historians or specialists this manuscript also allows us to imagine the attitudes and preoccupations of the Brethren who composed the Very Respectable Grand Lodge of France. One can thus follow the evolution of the auspices under which it placed itself, and of the toasts given at banquets: from "His Majesty the King, our august monarch" and "the king as chief of the executive power and first French citizen" to the final decision: "The first health to the former king and duke of Orleans will be replaced by that of the Nation as sovereign to which has been added the prosperity of its arms". The Invocations to the Great Architect of the Universe, either "Eternal that is blessed by All" or "Supreme Being", already represented a unifying and universal symbol as shown by some of these words on the 24th of June, 1789 (fo.20): "Duties and homage paid to the Supreme Being, Masonry not banishing the consent at all but, on the contrary, wishing it to be the bond among a Company of friends". The use of abbreviations followed by the three dots became more and more frequent and it is on the 24th of June 1795 that the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" appeared.

The organization of the Grand Lodge is described in detail: to "erect" a lodge, the future Worshipful Master had to have occupied an important office in Lodge such as Warden or Orator, and "to have laid on the desk" a written request. Members of a Commission were then appointed to examine the "civil and masonic life and morals" of "the Aspirant". Then these same commission members attended the meetings of the lodge that was being constituted, and if the work showed the required quality, the Worshipful Master was immediately installed (when there was emergency, most of the time on account of travel) or during some other meeting.

The administrative organization of the Grand Lodge was just as rigorous: the minutes of the meetings consisted in reporting the decrees voted, article by article, during these meetings meetings that bore the name either of general assembly, or council assembly, or quarter assembly. The latter designation is not yet explained in a definitive manner. For Pierre Chevallier, the word quarter meant that the meeting took place in different areas in Paris. One can see in the document that the premises where the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge gathered were chosen according to pragmatic criteria, often linked to the willingness of Brethren that put their own premises at its disposal. Roger Dachez, as to him, gives to the word quarter a chronological value (quarterly), but article 5 of the deliberations of the 22nd January, 1796 (fo.87) states that "the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge will hold its general assembly of quarter on the first day of each republican month". Council Chamber, council lodge, lodge of quarter, council of quarter meeting these designations are not yet clear.

On the other hand, the chamber of administration, the administrative body of the Very Respectable Grand Lodge, did have well-defined functions such as purchasing equipment, establishing certificates, selling constitutions and writing regulations. Created on the 6th April 1789, it ceased its functions "to be united in Grand Lodge and council assembly", on the 24th of June 1796.

For each meeting, a record enables the historian to "observe the presence of the Worshipful Masters in conformity with the statutes and regulations" (fo.100); "traced boards" (i.e. the minutes of the session) may not be adopted and "the Worshipful Master Secretary" is then "invited to make a new writing" (fo.94). Some votes are sometimes fought closely, like the one concerning the dissenting brethren's reinstatement: "eight ayes and seven nayes" (fo.173). The semester word (or password), suppressed on the 6th of December, 1790 with an enthusiastic vigor which saw Masonry as "one family all of whose members will with equal eagerness work towards the general happiness known before the schism; preferences will be unknown in this happy family, all work will be the same and the semester word, suppressed together with its authors, will be replaced by those of Equality, Sincerity, Fraternity" (fo.57), will be re-established on the 14th May 1798 (fo.173, art. VI), after a long debate on the reinstatement of some "refractory Brethren from the Carre St-Martin".

Several ways to find the money needed for the operation of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge are studied, but apparently the financial situation was not as worrysome as could be supposed from the numerous regulations adopted on the subject, since on the 6th of February, 1797 "the Worshipful Master Treasurer" was allowed to "convert into cash the sum of fifteen hundred ninety pounds in banker’s draughts". The main resources was the sale of books of constitutions and certificates, but we see the appearance on the 6th of March, 1797 (fo118, art. It) of the first "initiation fee" (one pound and four sols) owed by "each recipient".

Another meaningful anecdote describes the attitude of Most Worshipful Grand Lodge towards the "higher degrees": Brother Margouet, after having lost the letter of introduction that he had been given by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge came forward, as a visitor, in a lodge in Le Havre producing "a brief of Rose+Croix". The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge estimated that this incident was worth a comment, "prejudging, by the thoughtlessness of the brother Margouet, his shallow knowledge of the Masonic Art, having just introduced himself as Knight Rose+Croix at the door of an apprentice mason Lodge to the prejudice of the sacred powers he was invested with" (fo.85).

Another point of interest in this document is the succession of human testimonies on the difficulties these Brethren met in trying to live up to their own vision of French Freemasonry. Their attitude towards the events brought about by the Revolution, the echoes of which are unfortunately mentioned without any more details, the celebrations of feasts given in honour of St.-John the Baptist "who is one of the patrons of the Order" either at the parish church or at the royal church of the Holy Low Chapel of the Palace (marked by a mass celebrated by brother Roussineau, the vicar of said church), or in others churches in the capital city.

The numerous banquets that follow the meetings (the Worshipful Masters unable to attend nevertheless paid their share) testify to the cheerfulness of the meetings. After collecting alms "for the destitute Brethren's relief", the Brethren gave a final toast "to all masons in both hemispheres, in prosperity as well as in destitution". After having formed the Chain of Union and sung "in chorus" the "ordinary hymn", "Each leaves in peace, edified, blessing the Eternal One". If, during these "Banquet working sessions", "one works within the milestones of Temperance", one sometimes sees "shining in the attendants' eyes, the fiery desire to give applause", which is carried out "with elation to the sound of cannons". Should this enthusiasm have been considered likely to disturb public order, as mentioned in the official reports of the Justice department and in the newspapers of the period?

These moments of brotherly and warm effusion must not however allow us to forget the conscientious working sessions and some reflections of a high moral value, as can be noticed in the speech of the Most Worshipful President before the election held on the 27th of December, 1796 (fo.106 and 107). At this election of "the representative officers and dignitaries of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of France" the President recommended the Worshipful Masters "to consider, in the choice that they [were] going to make, only the glory and the good of Masonry, and to take no notice of seniority, nor of any prejudices but, instead, of the qualities that are those of a noble heart and mind". As for the Worshipful Masters "who would be appointed officers", they were urged to "accept no office if they are not masters of their free will and if their civil occupations do not allow them to fulfill it with the required care and assiduity".

This book of architecture opens a new page in the history of Freemasonry which, without neglecting institutions, but by referring to original texts, tells of the history of men in their simplicity and their complicity. It is through the lives of these Freemasons that the history of our Order was built, and sharing their warm friendship this way it is maybe the most beautiful of secrets.

Philippe Morbach, Curator of the Museum, Achives, Library of the Grand Lodge of France.

Francois Rognon, Grand Librarian (f-rognon@gldf.org)

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