The Hôtel du Grand Orient de France () is a ''

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

'' located at 16 rue Cadet, in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is located on the right bank of th ...

. It has been the headquarters of the

Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (, abbr. GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly absorbe ...

since 1853 and also houses the

Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie image:09191 flamboyante de La Fayette.jpg, La Fayette sword. The Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie (, ''Museum of Freemasonry'') is a museum of Freemasonry located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 9th arrondissement at 16, rue Cadet, Paris, France ...

History

18th – 19th century

Originally belonging to the

Grimaldi family The House of Grimaldi is the reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297. Every Prince of Mo ...

, the Hôtel du Grand Orient de France was notably occupied by the

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince () is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes and princesses have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi. When Prince Rainier III died in 2005, he was Europe's longest reigning mo ...

in 1700, the

Duke of Richelieu Duke of Richelieu () was a title of French nobility. It was created on 26 November 1629 for Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (known as Cardinal Richelieu) who, as a Catholic clergyman, had no issue to pass it down to. It instead passed to hi ...

in 1725, and Marshal Clauzel in 1830. Under the leadership of its grand master,

Prince Murat Prince Murat is a Nobility of the First French Empire, French princely title that traces its origin back to 1804, when Emperor Napoleon granted the rank of Nobility of the First French Empire#Princes, ''prince français'' to his brother-in-law Jo ...

, the

Grand Orient of France The Grand Orient de France (, abbr. GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly absorbe ...

acquired the hotel as its headquarters. The

Masonic temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

was solemnly inaugurated on June 30, 1853, coinciding with the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

. In 1889, the ''

'' was established within the building. Since 2003, it has held the designation of “

museum of France Museum of France (, ) is a title given to the main state museums in France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana i ...

” issued by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

World War II

Freemasons, like the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, were accused of starting the Second World War and were hunted down by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Consequently, on June 18, 1940, during the early days of the

occupation of Paris The city of Paris started mobilizing for war in September 1939, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union attacked Poland, but the war seemed far away until May 10th 1940, when the Germans attacked France and quickly defeated the French army. The ...

, the Hôtel du Grand Orient de France was looted by the

Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg The Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce ( or ''ERR'') was a Nazi Party organization dedicated to appropriating cultural property during the Second World War. It was led by the chief ideologue of the Nazi Party, Alfred Rosenberg, from within the NSD ...

. Following the promulgation of the law by the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

on August 13, 1940, which prohibited

secret societies A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

, all civil servants of the French state were required to take an oath of non-membership in these societies. The building subsequently became the headquarters of the Secret Societies Service on November 22, 1940. Under the direction of

Bernard Faÿ Marie Louis Emmanuel Bernard Faÿ (3 April 1893 – 31 December 1978) was a French historian of Franco-American relations, an anti-Masonic polemicist who believed in a worldwide Jewish-Freemason conspiracy. During World War II he was an offic ...

and with the assistance of approximately one hundred agents under the supervision of the SD, the SPSS was responsible for creating a file of Freemasons and lodges for the German and French police services.

After the World War II

Between 1969 and 1972, a curtain wall facade was installed over the original facade. On February 27, 2017, the hotel hosted a visit from a

President of the French Republic The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...

, for the first time.Le Grand Orient accueille le Président de la République
/ref>

Architecture

The building features 17 temples, including: * Temple No. 1, designed in the

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...

; * Temple No. 4, designed in the Art Deco style. File:Grand Orient de France - Le grand Temple.jpg File:Temple style art deco de l'hôtel du grand Orient de France.jpg

References

External links

Grand Orient de France

Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel du Grand Orient de France

Buildings and structures in the 9th arrondissement of Paris Freemasonry in France 1700 establishments in France