Kherson de mason
Masons are a secret world community of a religious and political nature. The word "mason" means "builder, mason". The movement arose in the 18th century as a closed organization. Masons do not hide their existence. The secret lies in how much they influence the political processes in the world community(this is from Wikipedia, but it's not quite right. . . )
Epigraph:
I lived then in dusty Odessa. . .
The skies are clear there for a long time,
There is a lot of troublesome bargaining
He raises his sails;
There everything breathes Europe, blows,
Everything shines with the south and dazzles
Diversity alive.
The language of Italy is golden
Sounds cheerful down the street,
Where the proud Slav walks,
French, Spanish, Armenian,
Both the Greek and the Moldavian are heavy,
And the son of the Egyptian land,
Retired Corsair, Morals.
A. S. Pushkin. "Eugene Onegin"
A strange epigraph, the reader will think: Pushkin, Odessa, Onegin... well, what does Kherson and the Masons have to do with it? And the thing is that the majority of foreign nationals had a hand in the development of Kherson and the Kherson province, and almost all of them belonged to a secret society, the existence of which is still shrouded in mystery, hidden behind seven seals.
I think you guessed what society we are talking about. In general, there are many various legends, rumors and conjectures about Masons. When does the speculation start? That's right, when knowledge ends. That is why Masons are accused of almost all universal sins and non-existent deeds are attributed to them. I will try to debunk some myths a little by telling who the Freemasons are and what was their contribution to the development of the southern region of Ukraine. This secret was shared with us by a real freemason, whom we met in a beautiful restaurant with no less beautiful name "Nostalgia".
The Mason was all shrouded in mystery, to which we will also join. Sitting in a carriage with a black bandage over our eyes, we felt like conspirators of a secret alliance of “sword and plowshare”.
So, let's go on a fascinating route, proving the invisible presence of mystery on every street of the old city.
We are waiting for the Catholic quarters of the city, where the spirit of the aristocracy of France reigned. Here the walls know the meaning of symbols and signs, and the cellars remember the meetings of important guests.
Let's walk through the streets and quarters of the estates of the 18th and 19th centuries. And we will see the houses of merchants, landowners, admirals, aristocrats and patrons of the arts. And if you're lucky, the spirit of Richelieu will join us.
So, the origin of a secret society originates in the distant 13th century and comes from the knightly order of the Templars. The fact is that the monks, in view of their religion, were not allowed to fight, but the knights could. And so the Templars decided to unite these two groups and allowed the monks to fight. This is how the knights - Freemasons and the Templar Crusaders - reunited. Although, initially, Masons arose from the guild of masons, because the word Mason in translation sounds like “freemason”. I won’t delve into history, I’ll just say that at that time, in order to become a Freemason, one had to benefit society - to be a talented commander, an entrepreneur, for example, a violin maker, or an architect, or to have good connections in order to to get permission from the royal person for this or that charitable deed.
Masons could belong to different denominations, but be sure to carry the deep faith of Christianity. And by the way, it was the Masons who really didn’t like that all decisions were made by one person, therefore, in view of some control over the king, they decide to introduce parliament. Yes, yes, the European Parliament is, oddly enough, an invention of the Freemasons. The Masons also came up with the idea of boiling water for the knights, treating wounds with Arabic alcohol, and a number of other innovations, due to which the soldiers did not die, but survived. It was then that Freemasonry was shrouded in mystery and mysticism, since no one could understand how warriors are reborn, only as the devil himself helps them.
Well, it seems that I got carried away, and I drifted to the side, I will return to Kherson. Who built it anyway? Everyone knows Prince Grigory Potemkin with his “Potemkin villages” of the same name, and this legend has the right to exist, and I will tell about Prince Potemkin Tauride in another story, and now only “Kherson de Mason”. So, the famous commander Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov put his hand to the construction of the Kherson fortress as an outpost of the Russian state. And he belonged to a secret society of Freemasons, and even now his portrait hangs in the most expensive restaurant in Lvov and the inscription reads: “Prince, Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. Lodge "Three Stars". Suvorov had two emigrant comrades, known to all Odessans - De Ribas and De Richelieu, who were also Masons, and here in Suvorov's house, it was in Kherson, they decided to build the city of Odessa.
“Kherson de Mason” will reveal to us secrets that go back to the 18th century, when a revolution broke out in France, riots began, the French nobility needed somewhere to escape and feed on something. And Empress Catherine, being herself, as we remember, a little bit of a foreigner, favorably allowed all foreigners who wanted to escape from the bloody horror of their revolutions and settle in the then undeveloped lands of the southern provinces of Russia. So, Rene Vassal, an expert in breeding fine-fleeced breeds of sheep, comes to Kherson. Seeing here the steppes spread over the boundless expanses, he quickly unfolds a huge cooperative for the production of wool, and opens as many as 22 wool-washers on the Quarantine Island of Kherson. And soon becomes the mayor of the city of Kherson. His house has survived to this day, however, it looks somewhat shabby, but what to do, our officials do not reach the hands of the restoration of historical monuments.
After Rene Vassal, the city passes to the board to whom do you think? Correctly! To the Frenchman, who also belonged to the Masonic lodge - Antoine de Antoine. As a French consul, he convinced the empress of the need to open a sea route between France and Russia, while obtaining a discount of a quarter of the tax from Catherine. And thus, a trade route was opened from the Kherson province, to which Odessa also belonged, to Marseille. That is why the twin city of Kherson is French Marseille. The cunning French even then exported raw materials from here - wheat, wool, and imported cloth and perfumes.
Even Count Vorontsov was also a Freemason, and now the street he lived on bears his name.
The very first credit and financial institution of Kherson was the "1st Mutual Credit Society", opened in January 1874. The initiator of its appearance was a local entrepreneur, a person who is not indifferent to the needs of the urban community, Illarion Ivanovich Korbul. The activity of the new banking institution was based on mutual assistance and financial support from local industrialists and entrepreneurs who were members of the Society. popular and reputed to be reliable. Available to small owners, loans issued by the institution contributed in the best possible way to the development of trade and industry in Kherson and its environs. At first, the banking institution was located in a rented building. In 1899, according to the project of the provincial architect Anton Svarik, at the corner of Katolicheskaya and Gryaznaya streets (now Suvorov street), the own building of the Mutual Credit Society was built, which became one of the architectural decorations of Kherson. The new premises housed the board and bank of the Society.
The building of the first bank has survived to this day.
And as proof that Masons had a hand in its construction, we see that the boy is sitting on a compass, one of the Masonic symbols.
On the historical buildings of Kherson, we see these mysterious symbols everywhere: the all-seeing eye, the trowel, the square, the polyhedron, and others.
A shell symbol. What would that mean? And everything is very simple! If a mason appeared in an unfamiliar city, then he was looking for nothing more than a house with such a symbol, i. e. it was a kind of sign to the traveler that here he could always find accommodation and food for himself.
A lion with a ring in its mouth means some kind of mystery, i. e. here one could not be afraid to speak and discuss any plans.
Even on a banknote worth five hundred hryvnias, it is an all-seeing eye, reminding you that remember: we are watching you closely.
In general, Freemasons also created working artels. One of these enterprises was the artel for the casting of iron products. Here, we can see the preserved rarities:
John Howard, an Englishman by origin, also belonged to the well-known Freemasons, who traveled through the Russian and Ukrainian outbacks and studied the life of prisoners, writing later that "even a heart of stone should bleed from such horror. " Actually, he was a lawyer by profession, but in view of the fact that the Englishman took an active part in the treatment of prisoners, he was credited with the profession of a doctor. Howard made a great contribution to curing people from the plague, which, unfortunately, did not spare him. John Howard was buried near Kherson, having bequeathed to put a sundial on his grave in order to benefit people even after death.
The Italians also had a hand in the construction of Kherson. Here in this house lived a real Italian Freemason:
Even the marble steps have been preserved:
And stairs:
By the way, Masons also invented mail. The building of the old post office has been restored, but the Masons invited us to coffee in the authentic cafe "On Postal". The energy of those times is definitely preserved here.
And even authentic coasters and other coffee utensils. There was even an idea to serve tea in these things, but they would have been stolen from us.
Even, sorry, you can go to the ladies' room for an ecucursion.
And by the way, cash registers, as well as cashless payments, were also invented by Masons. I first saw a retro cash register.
And even the cash register is refilled.
If you are a lover of antique doors, like me, then I invite you to go through door routes.
Here, by the curl in the form of a snake, you can even determine that apparently a pharmacist lived here:
Having told us the history of the emergence of Freemasonry and their involvement in the construction of the city of our sunny Kherson, for they really built the City of the Sun, the Masons invited us to a restaurant for a meal.
For everyone knows that the people are hungry not only for circuses, but also for bread. There, in a mystical atmosphere of secrets, freemasons who understand the human nature treated us to a mysterious dinner from their chef.
In general, everyone made up their own understanding of Freemasonry. Someone personifies them with wealth and possession of the world, someone with patronage, for someone it is unlimited power, for someone it is prestige, and someone thinks that this is just a scam. For myself, I came to understand that this is a rational investment. Although I think that there are few ideological Freemasons, being a member of such an organization is considered very prestigious. And if a person has money, then what else does he want? Clearly, fame and power! What do Masons mean to you? Write in the comments, I'm very interested in your opinion.
