Grand Orient of Belgium
Encyclopedia
The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian
cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry
.
(Great Architect of the Universe
). This meant that in the 1870s the Orient broke with the United Grand Lodge of England
.
During World War II
, members of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the Lodge Liberté chérie
in a Nazi concentration camp
and the Lodge l'Obstinée
in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp
.
In 1959 five lodges of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the Grand Lodge of Belgium in order to regain recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England
which was lost in 1979. In 1989 the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium and the Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain signed an agreement of mutual recognition.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.
History
The Grand Orient of Belgium was founded in 1833, three years after the independence of Belgium. The Grand Orient joins the Grand Orient of France and other Continental jurisdictions in not requiring initiates to believe in a Supreme BeingSupreme Being
The term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the...
(Great Architect of the Universe
Great Architect of the Universe
The Great Architect of the Universe is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence...
). This meant that in the 1870s the Orient broke with the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, members of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the Lodge Liberté chérie
Liberté Chérie
The French association ' , created in March 2001 under the name , first came to public prominence on June 15, 2003, when, after its call to demonstrate "in favour of reforms and against blockings" and against government employees who were striking, an estimated 80,000 protesters gathered on the ...
in a Nazi concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
and the Lodge l'Obstinée
Obstinée
L'Obstinée was a Masonic Lodge founded in the Nazi prisoner-of-war camp Oflag XD during World War II. Together with the Lodges Liberté chérie and "Les frères captifs d'Allach", it was one of the very few lodges founded within a Nazi concentration or POW camp....
in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
.
In 1959 five lodges of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the Grand Lodge of Belgium in order to regain recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
which was lost in 1979. In 1989 the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium and the Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain signed an agreement of mutual recognition.
Notable members
- Jules AnspachJules AnspachJules Victor Anspach was a Belgian politician, best known for his renovations surrounding the covering of the Senne river. He is buried in the Brussels Cemetery....
, 1829-1879. - Jules BordetJules BordetJules Jean Baptiste Vincent Bordet was a Belgian immunologist and microbiologist. The bacterial genus Bordetella is named after him.-Biography:Bordet was born at Soignies, Belgium...
, 1870-1961, Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
(1919) - François Bovesse, 1890-1944.
- Léo Campion, 1905-1992.
- Charles De CosterCharles De CosterCharles-Theodore-Henri De Coster was a Belgian novelist whose efforts laid the basis for a native Belgian literature....
, 1827-1879. - Eugène Goblet d'AlviellaEugene Goblet d'AlviellaEugène Félicien Albert, Count Goblet d'Alviella was a lawyer, liberal senator of Belgium and a Professor of the history of religions and rector of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles...
, 1846-1925. - François-Joseph Gossec, 1734-1829.
- Victor HortaVictor HortaVictor, Baron Horta was a Belgian architect and designer. John Julius Norwich described him as "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Indeed, Horta is one of the most important names in Art Nouveau architecture; the construction of his Hôtel Tassel in Brussels in 1892-3 means that...
, 1861-1947. - Paul HymansPaul HymansPaul Louis Adrien Henri Hymans , was a Belgian politician associated with the Liberal Party. He was the first President of the League of Nations, and served again as its president in 1932-33....
, 1865-1941, first President of the League of NationsLeague of NationsThe League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace... - Henri La FontaineHenri La FontaineHenri La Fontaine , was a Belgian international lawyer and president of the International Peace Bureau. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1913.-Biography:...
, 1854-1943, Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
(1913) - Charles-Joseph de Ligne, 1735-1814.
- Charles MagnetteCharles MagnetteCharles Magnette , was a Belgian lawyer and a liberal politician.He was President of the Belgian Senate from 1928 until 1932 and Minister of State. He was Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium three times...
, 1863-1937. - Constantin MeunierConstantin MeunierConstantin Meunier , Belgian painter and sculptor, was born in Etterbeek, Brussels.His first exhibit was a plaster sketch, "The Garland," shown at the Brussels Salon in 1851. Soon afterwards, on the advice of the painter Charles de Groux, he abandoned the chisel for the brush...
, 1831-1905. - Edmond PicardEdmond PicardEdmond Picard Edmond Picard Edmond Picard (15 December 1836, Brussels – 19 February 1924, Dåve (now Namur) was a Belgian jurist and writer.Edmond Picard was lawyer at the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation of Belgium. He was also head of the Belgian bar association, professor of law,...
, 1836-1924. - Jean ReyJean Rey (politician)Jean Rey was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became the second President of the European Commission.-Early life:...
, 1902-1983, second President of the European CommissionPresident of the European CommissionThe President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed... - Félicien RopsFélicien RopsFélicien Rops was a Belgian artist, and printmaker in etching and aquatint.-Early life:Rops was born in Namur as the only son to Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile. He was educated at the University of Brussels...
, 1833-1898. - Goswin de StassartGoswin de StassartGoswin Joseph Augustin, Baron de Stassart was a Dutch-Belgian politician.Stassart studied accounting and economics in Paris. In 1804 he became Auditor in the French State Council, in 1805 he became Intendant in Tirol, and in 1807 he served in the French army in Prussia...
, 1780-1854, First Grand Master 1833 - 1841, - Emile VanderveldeEmile Vanderveldethumb|upright|Emile VanderveldeEmile Vandervelde was a Belgian statesman, born at Ixelles. He studied law at the Free University of Brussels and became doctor of laws in 1885 and doctor of social science in 1888.-Activities:Vandervelde became a member of the Parti Ouvrier...
, 1866-1938. - Théodore Verhaegen, 1796-1862, Grand Master 1854 - 1862, founder of the Université Libre de BruxellesUniversité Libre de BruxellesThe Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
- Henri VieuxtempsHenri VieuxtempsHenri François Joseph Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century....
, 1820-1881.
Relationship with the Roman Catholic Church
The GODB has often had a difficult relationship with the Roman Catholic Church (see Catholicism and Freemasonry). The Grand Orient was seen as the main source of anticlericalism during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.See also
- Freemasonry in BelgiumFreemasonry in BelgiumFreemasonry in Belgium consists of a wide range of Masonic obediences: A Grand Orient of Belgium, a Grand Lodge of Belgium, a Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, and a Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium.-History:...
- History of Freemasonry in BelgiumHistory of Freemasonry in BelgiumThe history of Freemasonry in Belgium reflects the many influences on what is now Belgium from the neighbouring states.-18th century:In the 18th century, Belgium was made up of 2 states - the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège....
- International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic PowersInternational Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic PowersThe International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers is an international organization of Masonic jurisdictions of masonic lodges...
- Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium