The great changes in international politics have given rise to a new wave of conspiracy theories about "world government," the "Masonic conspiracy," and other speculations and prejudices that enjoy great success among those with a romantic and mystical disposition.
But we rarely remember the true Masons who had a direct connection with Moldova, although this is part of our past.
We will not delve into the issues of Masons, who they are, where they come from and what they want, but we will only address several well-known or not-so-well-known personalities who have been part of organizations called Masonic lodges. And, since the spectrum is quite wide, we will still touch on only one region and period: Bessarabia at the beginning of the 19th century.
For a start, we will talk about what everyone knows, about who is "ours, everyone's." While in exile in the south of the Russian Empire, Pushkin became a member of the Masonic Lodge "Ovid-25". The poet had gladly accepted the proposal of accession, all the more so as the initiative came from his protector at that time. It is about the governor of Bessarabia, Ivan Nikitici Inzov, also a member of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge.
The lodge was named in honour of the poet of Ancient Rome who had been exiled to our lands on the Black Sea. And the number 25 is the serial number. Preparations for the inauguration of the Masonic organization in Chisinau began in the spring of 1821 under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of the "Astra" in Petersburg.
The secret of the lodge's wealth
The "Ovidiu-25" lodge was officially opened on July 7, 1821, headed by Major General Pavel Pushkin. However, several leaders of the "Astra" lodge showed a sceptical attitude towards the opening of the lodge in Chisinau, so that " Ovidiu-25 "was registered only on October 7, 1821. Pushkin became a member of the lodge in May 1821 and, according to some sources, played a rather important role in its activity.
The truth is that the "Ovid-25" lodge, like all official masonry in Russia, would exist for only one year: until the tsar's decree on the prohibition of Masonic lodges and any secret societies. Ruslan Shevchenko, the Moldovan historian who wrote about Freemasonry, says that everything started from the instructions received by Inzov from Petersburg: to find out if there are Masonic lodges in Chisinau and Ismail. Inzov, himself a mason, reported that such organizations do not exist in the territory he administers. But the people of the capital on the Neva did not believe him.
There are testimonies that when a check was carried out in Bessarabia in Petersburg, the president of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, Pavel Pushkin, hid the organization's goods in his house and later handed them over to Pushkin. he at Mikhailovskoe, but their fate is not yet known, the tsar's decree followed, and the lodge was closed.
The basement of a mysterious house
The owner of the house in whose basement the members of the lodge gathered was called Mihalache Catica, a Greek of noble birth, who had moved to Moldova in 1804. At that time, Catica was a treasurer. In 1826, being promoted to the rank of coast captain, he retired. No one knows for sure if he was a member of the lodge, but it is not excluded that he did not make the basement of his house available free of charge to the mason brothers, but collected good money for rent.
By the way, this building has been preserved and has even been recently restored. In front of the house is a small square in the centre of which rises the bust of December Orlov.
To this day, there has been a history related to masons and the basement of the Catica house. The ritual of initiation into the Masonic lodge included (and still includes) the simulation of the death of the neophyte. Within the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, this basement played the role of "place of non-existence", having the entrance directly from the street, where it has remained until today. The one to be initiated was ushered into the basement through the house, his eyes and hands tied.
An acquaintance of Pushkin's during his stay in Bessarabia, Ivan Liprandi, a military spy and secret police agent, wrote that the decision had been made to receive the Bulgarian archimandrite Ephraim in the "Ovidiu-25" lodge. , who had recently arrived at Catica's house, is taken out the door blindfolded and led and led into the basement, the house is separated from the small square by only a fence, the crowd gathered during the day at noon (mostly local Bulgarians and etherealises fleeing from Romania) acknowledged his pastor. that house is where the "judgment of the devil" takes place, the people rushed to free the archimandrite, broke down the door, and drove out the servant of the Lord. At the same time, each deliverer knelt before the priest to ask for forgiveness, because they were all believers. Towards evening, on the same day, the whole city already knew what had happened…
Lodge leader and others
Major General Pavel Sergheievich Pushkin, one of the founders of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, participated in the war for the defence of the Fatherland in 1812 and in the European campaign, being decorated with several orders. In the period following Napoleon's defeat, Pushkin was well seen by Pavel Kiselev, the future author of the first Constitutions of Moldova and Wallachia, and who at that time was not yet a general, but Chief of the General Staff of the Second Army. at the suppression of the Polish uprising.
According to the list of members of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge published in a paper by the historian Stanislav Țerna, Pushkin's position was called "venerable" in French, meaning "venerable" (leader).
This list of the first members of the organization dates back to October 10, 1821, and was sent to St. Petersburg, in the Grand Lodge of the "Astra". The second supervisor was the Swiss naturalist Louis-Vincent Tardent, who later founded the Schabo colony.
The writer Ivan Brankovici was appointed orator, and the lawyer Piotr Fleristal was the secretary of the lodge. The cashier (chaplain) of the organization was Major General Sergei Tucikov who laid the foundation of the city of Tucikov (until then and now - Ismail). The doctor of medicine Rafael Ghirleanda was master of ceremonies (maitre des cérémonies).
Among the other members of the lodge were Major Mikhail Maksimovich; former Colonel Louis Tresca, Spanish emigrant; the boyar Manuel Bernardo; lieutenant-colonel, the future commander of the Akkerman fortress, Pert Curteau; the merchant Matfa Dragosevich and the lieutenant-colonel of the Russian army Iakov Barozzi. Almost each of them deserves a separate description, at least with reference to the Bessarabian period of their lives. But not all data is accurate, and sometimes, unfortunately, they are generally missing.
But what does an appointment in the "Ovidiu-25" lodge mean? Those who know at least superficially the history of Freemasonry know all too well that in each lodge there are so-called degrees of initiation. Probably in the list sent to Petersburg the founders of the lodge "Ovidiu-25" mentioned only the "administrative" functions, and as for their degrees of initiation, they preferred not to disclose them even to the older confreres.
Although, if we are to believe the various information about Freemasons, the degree of initiation of a confrere was never disclosed through correspondence. All the more so as any member of the organization could later attain a higher rank, and not just one.
Initiates will understand that it is not until now that Masons in different parts of the world know the degree of initiation of one or the other through coded phrases and handshakes. It is no coincidence that Prince Pyotr Veazemsky, a writer, historian and friend of Alexander Pushkin, put a white Masonic glove in his coffin when he died.
The article was written by Nicolai Costirchin for the sputnik.md portal
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