The Revival of 
Rossia 
Consistory 

Jean-Paul Krieger, 33
Grand Secretary General, The Supreme Council for France
128 Avenue De Villiers, 75017 Paris


Founded by the Supreme Council for France on December 18, 1926, as the provisional head of the Russian High Degrees working in the Russian language within the French Jurisdiction of the A\&A\S\R\, Rossia [Russia] Consistory No. 563 functioned as such until June 1939 when a "Council of S\G\I\G\s, 33" was created as the last preliminary step preceding the creation of a Supreme Council for Russia as a regular and independent Jurisdiction. Because of World War II and Germany's occupation of French territory, Freemasonry was forbidden in France, and the Russian Brethren suffered the same repression as the French Brethren.
	After the end of the war, the Russian branch of the French jurisdiction renewed its activities, but because of losses, the former Supreme Council, 33, could only meet from time to time, and the real burden of the whole (i.e. 1 Aeropagus, 1 Chapter, and 1 Lodge of Perfection) fell upon the Consistory Rossia as the Executive Craft of the future Russian jurisdiction.
	In 1965, as the Russian Brethren decided to follow the late Grand Commander Charles Riandey, 33, towards regularity, the renewed Supreme Council for France temporarily closed Rossia Consistory. At the same time, the Russian branch remained represented within the Supreme Council by at least one member. In this way, the "Russian branch" has been closely associated to the life of the French jurisdiction and, at the same time, did its best to protect the purity of the spirit and the tradition of Russian Masonry.
	Since the beginning of 1992, regular Freemasonry has been reestablished in Russia by the Grande Loge Nationale Francaise (G.L.N.F.) through the creation in Moscow of the Lodge "Harmony." Given the fast and irresistible growth of Symbolic Masonry in Russia, the Supreme Council for France revived Rossia Consistory as a beacon for future Scottish Rite Bodies in Russia as well as in Ukraine or Belarus or Kazakhstan, i.e. the now-independent states of the former Soviet Empire. This extremely important ceremony of reestablishment took place on December 18, 1992, the day of the 66th anniversary of the foundation of the Consistory.
	The ceremony celebrated in the grand Temple of the G.L.N.F. in Neuilly, France, involved four parts: First, the French Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill\ Henri L. Baranger, 33, assisted by the Grand Officers of the Supreme Council for France, opened the labors in the 32nd Degree and introduced the numerous foreign delegations representing 14 Masonic Jurisdictions.      r
 	Secondly, the Sov\ Grand Commander Henri L. Baranger, 33, revived ritually the Consistory Rossia after having installed Commander Lioubomer Houzar, 33, and his officers. Then Commander Houzar, 33, delivered a speech in French upon the significance of this event.
	Commander Houzar, 33, and the revived Consistory Rossia then proceeded to the initiation to the 32nd Degree of Brother George B. Dergachev. The Russian language and traditional Russian ritual were used.
	Ill\ Michel Garder, 33, Lieutenant Grand Commander of the Supreme Council for France, speaking in his capacity as the oldest Russian-
speaking Mason abroad, delivered a speech in Russian, French, and English. He stressed, first, the great significance of the ceremony which he described as an "encounter between the glorious past of Russian Masonry abroad and the future of the new Russian Masonry in Russia." 
	He then explained to the new Thirty-second Degree Brethren the real meaning of the initiations to the High Degrees of the A\&A\S\R\ Then he described to Brother Dergachev, 32, the duties which he has to fulfill in his country, working for the glory of the Grand Architect of the Universe in order to prepare the framework of the future Supreme Council, 33, for Russia.
	On the following day, all the Brethren who had participated in the reviving of Rossia Consistory gathered again to celebrate "Scottish Rite Day 1992." They were joined by other Brethren, some 500 in all, in the prestigious lounge of the Hotel Intercontinental which had been transformed into a Masonic Temple for the occasion.
	The Brethren, arranged by Degrees, observed the ceremonial admission of Sovereign Gr\ Cmdr\ Henri L. Baranger, 33, followed by all the other high Masonic dignitaries. Each delegation was preceded by its national flag. Grand Commander Baranger then offered a warm greeting to all attending.
	Brief speeches were then presented by several outstanding Brethren, including the following: Ill\ J. P. Krieger, on the history of the French Jurisdiction; Ill\ J. P. Lassale on the significance of the Fourth Degree; Ill\ H. L. Baranger on the importance of the Grand Constitutions of 1786; and Ill\ C. F. Kleinknecht on the historic meaning of the present occasion. After the labors of the Fourth Degree were closed, all adjourned to a banquet hall where they were joined by their ladies to share a gala dinner.
	The reviving of Rossia Consistory and the celebration of the Scottish Rite Day 1992 in Neuilly, France, mark a new highpoint of Scottish Rite achievement in France and a significant step forward for the worldwide advancement of our Order.     s

Dignitaries Participating in the Revival of 
Rossia Consistory No. 563

Sov\ Grand Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33
Southern Jurisdiction, USA, "Mother Supreme 
Council of the World"-1801
Sov\ Grand Commander 
Francisco Espinar Lafuente, 33o, Spain-1811
Sov\ Grand Commander George Kint, 33
Belgium-1817
Sov\ Grand Commander Agustin Arriaga Rivera, 33 
Mexico-1860 (President of the XIV World Conference)
Sov\ Grand Commander Sahir Erman, 33, Turkey-1861
Sov\ Grand Commander Jean-Pierre Grenier, 33
Switzerland-1873, 
accompanied by Ill\ Guldenfels, 33 
Lt. Grand Commander and 
Ill\ Luginbuhl, 33, Active Member
Former Sov\ Gr\ Cmdr\ Elvio Sciubba, 33, Italy-1875
Ill\ Lex Van Wijk, 33, Grand Treasurer of 
S.C. of the Netherlands-1912 
accompanied by Ill\ W. V. M. de Roy, 33 
Grand Representative of the S.C. for France
Sov\ Grand Commander Marcel Schapira, 33 
Romania-in-Exile-1923, 
accompanied by Ill\ Mihai Muscelanu, 33 
Grand Secretary General and Grand Chancellor
Ill\ Fritz Frohlich, 33 
Grand Secretary General S.C. Austria-1925 
Sov\ Grand Commander Herbert Kessler, 33 
Germany, accompanied by Ill\ Gunter Mnzberg, 33 
Lt. Grand Commander (now Sov\ Gr\ Cmdr\ ) 
Ill\ Lutfallah Hay, 33 
Grand Treasurer General, Iran-in-Exile-1870
Sov\ Grand Commander Pierre Henckes, 33 
Luxembourg-1976, accompanied by 
Ill\ Cecil Schleich, 33, and Ill\ Roland Lacaf, 33 
Past Grand Commanders
Sov\ Grand Commander Jiri Syllaba, 33
Czechoslovakia, accompanied by Ill\ Jiri Sonka, 33 
Grand Minister of State.
