Constant Chevillon (born 26 October 1880 in

Annoire Annoire () is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Jura department The following is a list of the 492 communes of the Jura department of Fr ...

( Jura); died 25 March 1944 in Lyon) was a French occultist who was Grand Master of the

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Rite of Memphis-Misraïm The Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis-Misraïm is a masonic rite combining esoteric spirituality with humanitarian ideals. Created in Naples in September 1881, it emerged from the fusion of two distinct masonic systems: the Rite of Misra� ...

and head of

FUDOFSI FUDOFSI (), headed by Constant Chevillon (1880–1944), was a federation of independent esoteric orders similar to FUDOSI, but strongly opposed to the other group. History FUDOFSI was established in defense of the Orders of Lyon and other so ...

and other

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

societies.

Education and civil work

At an early age, his prodigious memory and learning genius made their debut and the priest decided to teach him Latin. At the age of twelve, he entered the College of Montciel, near Lons-le-Saunier (Jura). He studied

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

Ancient History Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

, the

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. He moved on to higher branches of learning, receiving a bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Letters at Lyon where he also received his Licentiate's Degree and a Fellowship. He studied philosophy under the celebrated Professor Arthur Hennequin. He knew

Socrates Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...

Precept A precept (from the , to teach) is a wikt:commandment, commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authority, authoritative rule of action. Religious law In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting morality, moral conduct. Chris ...

s of Self-knowledge, but the one that guided his life was: "Renounce thyself while serving others". His philosophy professor was such an ideal for him that after Hennequin's death, he left the university. He went to work at the Société Générale, a bank in Lyon and worked there until 1913. Later he went to work for the Banque Nationale de Crédit in Lyon and continued his work there until his death.

Esoteric activities

As a member of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, he was opposed to

Harvey Spencer Lewis Harvey Spencer Lewis (November 25, 1883 – August 2, 1939) was an American Rosicrucianism, Rosicrucian writer, mysticism, mystic and the founder of AMORC. He led AMORC as its first leader (imperator) from its creation in 1915 until his death. ...

AMORC AMORC (standing for, among others, the Ancient Mystical Order of the Rosy Cross or the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis) is a Rosicrucian organization founded by Harvey Spencer Lewis in the United States in 1915. It has lodges, chapters an ...

and

FUDOSI FUDOSI or FUDOESI (French language, French: ''Fédération Universelle des Ordres et Sociétés Initiatiques'', Latin: ''Federatio Universalis Dirigens Ordines Societatesque Initiationis'') was a federation of autonomous Western esotericism, esot ...

. He was enthroned as

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

of the Eglise Gnostique Universelle after

Jean Bricaud Jean (or Joanny) Bricaud (11 February 1881, Neuville-sur-Ain, Ain – 24 February 1934), also known as Tau Jean II, was a French student of the occult and esoteric matters. Bricaud was heavily involved in the French neo-Gnostic movement. He was c ...

, and succeeded by one of his students, René Chambellant, who maintained the compendium of esoteric societies in cooperation with the

Gnostic church Gnostic church may refer to a variety of Gnostic religious organizations. Various Gnostic churches include: *Bosnian Church * Ecclesia Gnostica *Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica * Ecclesia Pistis Sophia * Gnostic Church of France *Johannite Church * Neo- ...

Death

During World War II, he was shot and killed by the militia (French police submitted to the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

) in a brutal hostage murder on 23 March 1944 in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Books

* * * * * * *

References

1880 births 1944 deaths French occultists People from Jura (department) Deaths by firearm in France French people executed by Nazi Germany People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm {{france-reli-bio-stub