Our Notes & References
Rare second edition of Svitkov’s main work on freemasonry, where he details the development of modern Russian Masonic lodges outside of Russia since 1920, adding a list of Russian Freemasons as of January 1, 1932 (to which he even includes Vladimir Ulianov-Lenin). It follows the first edition printed in Paris 32 years earlier, and a third, very similar edition was published by the same company in 1966.
This second edition was augmented with a preface by V. Merzheevskii, a contribution by the Chairman of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, bishop Antonii, and Svitkov’s article “Voennaia lozha” [Military lodge], published earlier in 1955 in Vladimirskii vestnik periodical.
In February 1918, Svitkov-Stepanov (1886-1981) emigrated to Persia from Russia, joined the army of the Shah of Persia and took part in armed conflicts between Persians and Turks. In 1920 he left Persia, moving successively to Mesopotamia, India, Italy, France and Belgium where he was engaged in journalistic and literary work, studying Freemasonry. In 1965, after several works on the Masonic conspiracy theory and the Masonic links with Judaism, he was tonsured a monk under the name Alexander at the Church of St. Forefathers in Hebron.
Provenance
Avenir Nizoff (émigré, pianist, who lived in Edmonton, Canada, in the second half of the 20th century, and gathered a large, wide-ranging library of Russian works, especially covering art, history and literature).
Item number
1414