- Grand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: "Grand Orient de Belgique", Dutch: "Grootoosten van Belgie" (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of
freemasonry .History
The Grand Orient of Belgium was founded in 1833, three years after the independence of Belgium. The Grand Orient joins the
Grand Orient of France and other Continental jurisdictions in not requiring initiates to believe in aSupreme Being (Great Architect of the Universe ). This meant that in the 1870s the Orient broke with theUnited Grand Lodge of England .During
World War II , members of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the LodgeLiberté chérie in a Nazi concentration camp and the Lodge l'Obstinée in a Naziprisoner-of-war camp .In 1959 five lodges of the Grand Orient of Belgium founded the
Grand Lodge of Belgium in order to regain recognition by theUnited Grand Lodge of England which was lost in 1979. In 1989 the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, theWomen's Grand Lodge Of Belgium and theBelgian Federation of Le Droit Humain signed an agreement of mutual recognition.Notable members
*
Jules Anspach , 1829-1879.
*Jules Bordet , 1870-1961,Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1919)
*François Bovesse , 1890-1944.
*Léo Campion , 1905-1992.
*Charles De Coster , 1827-1879.
*Eugène Goblet d'Alviella , 1846-1925.
*François-Joseph Gossec , 1734-1829.
*Victor Horta , 1861-1947.
*Paul Hymans , 1865-1941, first President of theLeague of Nations
*Henri La Fontaine , 1854-1943,Nobel Peace Prize (1913)
*Charles-Joseph de Ligne , 1735-1814.
*Charles Magnette , 1863-1937.
*Constantin Meunier , 1831-1905.
*Edmond Picard , 1836-1924.
* Jean Rey, 1902-1983, secondPresident of the European Commission
*Félicien Rops , 1833-1898.
*Goswin de Stassart , 1780-1854, First Grand Master 1833 - 1841,
*Emile Vandervelde , 1866-1938.
*Théodore Verhaegen , 1796-1862, Grand Master 1854 - 1862, founder of theUniversité Libre de Bruxelles
*Henri Vieuxtemps , 1820-1881.ee also
*
Freemasonry in Belgium
*History of Freemasonry in Belgium
*International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers
*Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium References
* Hugo De Schampeleire,
Els Witte , Fernand V. Borne, "Bibliografische bijdrage tot de geschiedenis der Belgische vrijmetselarij, 1798-1855", Brussel 1973
* Andries Van Den Abeele, "De Kinderen Van Hiram", Brussel, Roularta., 1991
* Hervé Hasquin (ed.), "Visages de la franc-maçonner ie belge du XVIIIe au XXe siècle", Ed. ULB, Bruxelles, 1983
* Michel Huysseune, "Vrijmetselarij, mythe en realiteit", EPO pub., 1988
* Jo Gerard, "La franc-maçonnerie en Belgique", Bruxelles 1988External links
* [http://www.gob.be/ Grand Orient of Belgium]
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