Constant Chevillon
Constant Chevillon (1880–1944) was a French writer and leader of Memphis-Misraïm. He succeeded Jean Bricaud in 1934 and was murdered in the Lyon area during the German occupation of France. The Bibliothèque nationale de France describes him as a writer, moralist and philosopher as well as a Grand Master of the rite.[1][2]
Life and work
Chevillon came from Annoire in the Jura. After seminary studies and an interest in an academic career, he worked in banking in Lyon. The account published by the Grande Loge Symbolique de France draws on his correspondence and recollections by Eugénie Bricaud. It describes a working life alongside his writing and Masonic responsibilities.[2]
He worked first for Société Générale and moved to the Banque Nationale de Crédit in 1913. During the First World War he served in Alsace, Champagne and the Somme and suffered injuries to his left arm. His later banking employment required travel, which also enabled him to maintain contact with members of the organisations he led.[2]
His books included Orient ou Occident, Réflexions sur le temple social, Le vrai visage de la Franc-Maçonnerie and Du néant à l’être. Their subjects range from social philosophy to metaphysics and the meaning of Masonic membership.[2]
Leadership and death
Chevillon continued Bricaud’s historical notes through 1938, recording the French body’s European contacts.[3]
He was arrested at Eugénie Bricaud’s home in March 1944; his body was subsequently found near Saint-Fons. Later accounts commemorate him as a victim of the persecution of Freemasons under the occupation.[2]
In his review of Régis Le Mer's study of Masonic resistance in Lyon, the historian André Combes identifies the killers as the Mouvement national anti-terroriste français (MNAT) and associates the murder with Chevillon's position as Grand Master. Combes treats his case separately from those of Freemasons arrested for specific Resistance activities.[4]
The history of the Grande Loge Symbolique de France places Charles-Henri Dupont after him in its succession, followed by Robert Ambelain in 1960.[5]
Posthumous publications
Chevillon's writing continued to appear after his death. La Tradition universelle was issued by Derain at Lyon in 1946, followed by Méditations initiatiques in 1953. His correspondence was also preserved and later published as Lettres à Marcelle. Eugénie Bricaud's recollections and these letters are among the sources used in the Grande Loge Symbolique de France's account of his life.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Bibliothèque nationale de France, authority record for Constant Chevillon (1880–1944).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Grande Loge Symbolique de France, “Constant Chevillon”, historical account drawing on Eugénie Bricaud’s recollections.
- ↑ Jean Bricaud, historical notes on Memphis-Misraïm (1933), updated by Constant Chevillon (1938), reproduced by L’Initiation as “Historique de Memphis-Misraïm”; an account written by leaders of the rite.
- ↑ André Combes, “Francs-maçons résistants. Lyon. 1940–1944”, review of Régis Le Mer, Humanisme, no. 295 (2012/1), pp. 117–118, doi:10.3917/huma.295.0117.
- ↑ Grande Loge Symbolique de France, “Les figures du Rite”, account of the wartime and post-war French organisation.
Memphis-Misraïm: Overview · Misraïm · Memphis · History · Degrees and organisation · Egyptian symbolism · Organisations and recognition · Regalia and imagery · Sources and further reading
People: Bédarride brothers · Marconis de Nègre · John Yarker · Giuseppe Garibaldi · Papus · Jean Bricaud · Constant Chevillon · Robert Ambelain
Background: Hermeticism · Martinism · Masonic glossary · Comparison with related traditions