Masons and Armenians

PanARMENIAN.Net - According to the information available, the term masonic organization (Freemasonry) originates from French word franc-maçon (old French – masson).

Freemasonry consists of fraternal organizations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Members of these organizations are known as Freemasons or Masons. The basic, local organizational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. The Lodges are usually supervised and governed at the regional level (usually coterminous with either a state, province, or national border) by a Grand Lodge or Grand Orient. There is no international, world-wide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry; each Grand Lodge is independent, and they do not necessarily recognize each other as being legitimate.

The idea of Masonic brotherhood probably descends from a 16th-century legal definition of a brother as one who has taken an oath of mutual support to another. Accordingly, Masons swear at each degree to keep the contents of that degree secret, and to support and protect their brethren unless they have broken the law.

Freemasonry describes itself as a "'beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols". The symbolism is mainly, but not exclusively, drawn from the manual tools of stonemasons – the square and compasses, the level and plumb rule, the trowel, among others. A moral lesson is attached to each of these tools, although the assignment is by no means consistent. The meaning of the symbolism is taught and explored through ritual.

It’s known that in the mid-19th century, the masonic organizations expanded their activity towards Middle East and open multinational lodges in the Ottoman Empire, where Armenians also became members. It’s also known that in 1762, an Armenian named Doctor Manas was appointed as the Master of one of the lodges in Middle East.

The emergence of Armenian masonry is mostly conditioned by the influence the Ottoman Armenians enjoyed. In 1830s, Armenians who occupied high diplomatic posts joined masonic lodges during their trips to Europe and did not conceal this fact. They apparently wanted to use close ties with the European intellectuals in order to solve various issues of concern for the Armenians.

Torgom Boyajian, a master of Hayastan lodge

The masonic ideas and principles found appreciation among Armenians, who valued national awakening, freedom, equality and the power of constitution, democracy and progress. Masonic conception was welcomed by Armenians in Constantinople, some of whom participated in the creation of the Armenian Constitution in 1850.

The reforms to improve the condition of national minorities in the Ottoman Empire (1830-50) were not implemented and many Armenians intellectuals sought solution of problems by joining masonic organizations.

Editor Ruben Berberian, who has best studied the history of Armenian masonry, explained in his periodicals in Boston-based Hayrenik newspaper in 1937 that Armenians picked up this concept as a protest against the Ottoman injustice.

Constantinople Armenian Mkrtich Peshiktashlian (1828-1868), who joined masons a year before his death, always propagated unification of Armenians, was convinced that the bad knowledge of each other was the reason behind the religious and ideological split within the nation. Peshiktashlian, a graduate of the Mkhitarist College in Padua, where he had been exposed to European romanticism, distinguished himself as the leader of the Armenian romantics. He played an important role in founding Western Armenian Theater in Constantinople, and during the Zeytun rebellion (1862) he aroused the public with his patriotic poems.

The first Armenian lodge titled Tigran № 1014 opened in Smyrna under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of England on April 29, 1864. At the beginning, the lodge operated in English, as it also included members of other nationalities. However, in the future, the Armenians outnumbered the representatives of other nations and the lodge became Armenian speaking. From the moment of its formation until dissolution (as result of Turkish masons’ provocative actions), the lodge had had 118 members, of whom 108 were Armenians, 7 were Turks and 3 were Greeks. The famous members of the lodge were Mesrop Nuparean (lexicographer and translator) and Matteos Mamourian (novelist and political activist). Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India was mentioned among the visitors of the lodge.

U.S. President Harry Truman with a cap and emblem of Ararat lodge. A photo from “Armenians’ contribution to Ottoman Empire” book (author Hasmik Stepanyan)

The second and the most prominent Armenian masonic lodge was called Ser, of which a large number of Armenians intellectuals including Harutiun Svachian, Matteos Mamourian, Mkrtich Peshiktashlian, Michael Alishan, Srapion Hekimian, Serope Aznavour and others were members. The lodge opened on May 7, 1866 in Constantinople under control of the Grand Orient de France and operated till 1890. It had been an Armenian speaking lodge from the day of its formation. It’s noteworthy that a conflict preceded the formation of the lodge, as some of the members assured that the lodge should operate under control of the Grand Lodge of England, while the other insisted that being guided by the Grand Orient de France would be more efficient in terms of possible solution of issues concerning the Armenian nation.

Armenian lodge Euphrates № 1078 was founded in 1909 in Hyusenik village of Kharbert (Western Armenia) under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. 6 years later, during the Armenian genocide, the building constructed for the lodge was destroyed, while many of its members were killed. Some of the Armenian masons in Kharbert wanted to unite the lodge with a Turkish one in 1912, although the majority was against. Many of those who finally united with the Turkish masons were killed by the Turkish “brothers”.

The fourth Armenian mason lodge Hayastan № 1185 was founded in Constantinople on May 1, 1919 and was subject to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. It closed in 1923 because most of its members had left.

In early 20th century, Armenians were members of some Turkish masonic lodges and even held high positions there. Prominent publicist Tigran Kelekian, the master of one of the Turkish lodges, was killed during the Genocide. Armenians were also present France-based Russian lodges, of which, according to some sources, the Prime Ministers of the First Republic of Armenia Alexander Khatisian and Simon Vratsian were members. In the future, Armenian lodges opened in the United States, Argentina, Russia and Armenia, after the latter regained independence.

Literature:

Ruben Berberian, Armenian masons and Ser lodge in Constantinople, Hayrenik, Boston, 1937

Hasmik Stepanyan, Armenians’ Contribution to Ottoman Empire, Yerevan, 2012

H. Iordanyan, From the history of Armenian Freemasonry, Yerevan, 2014