Constant Chevillon (born 26 October 1880 in Annoire ( Jura); died 25 March 1944 in Lyon) was a French occultist who was Grand Master of the

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Rite of Memphis-Misraïm and head of FUDOFSI and other

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...

societies.

Educations & 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 written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

Ancient History Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history co ...

, the Classics and Philosophy. 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 Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

Precept A precept (from the la, præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action. Religious law In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting moral conduct. Christianity The term is en ...

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 F.R.C., S:::I:::I:::, 33° 66° 95°, PhD (November 25, 1883 – August 2, 1939), a noted Rosicrucian author, occultist, and mystic, was the founder in the US and the first Imperator of the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosa ...

AMORC The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC), also known as the ''Rosicrucian Order'', is the largest Rosicrucian organization in the world. It has various lodges, chapters and other affiliated bodies throughout the globe, operating in ...

and

FUDOSI FUDOSI or FUDOESI ( French: ''Fédération Universelle des Ordres et Sociétés Initiatiques'', latin: ''Federatio Universalis Dirigens Ordines Societatesque Initiationis'') was a federation of autonomous esoteric or mystical orders and societies ...

. He was enthroned as

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

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 ...

, 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 religious organizations which identify themselves with Gnosticism. Various Gnostic religious organizations include: * Ecclesia Gnostica *Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica *Ecclesia Pistis Sophia *Gnostic Church of ...

Death

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

Gestapo The (), 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 Prussia into one or ...

) in a brutal hostage murder on 23 March 1944 in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

Books

* * * * * * *

References

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