Bénédict Chastanier (1739 – c. 1816) was a French surgeon. In 1767 he founded a lodge of Illuminés Theosophes, based on the anonymous writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. In 1774 he migrated to England. In 1775 Chastanier and the Marquis de Thorn joined the Philaléthes, a Masonic society founded by Savalette de Langes in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1776 he founded Universal Society in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to disseminate Swedenborg's writing. In 1782 Chastanier and

Charles Rainsford General Charles Rainsford (3 February 1728 – 24 May 1809) was a British Army officer. Career He was the second son of alderman Francis Rainsford (died 1770) and his wife, Isabella and received his first education from a cleric friend of Franc ...

reached out to kindred Illuminist groups in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and Paris by publishing a brochure in French about degrees of the Universal Society. Chastanier was in contact with the Illuminés of Avignon.

References

French surgeons 1739 births 1810s deaths Place of birth missing {{france-med-bio-stub