THE PERCEPTION OF FREEMASONRY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY ARMENIAN PERIODICALS AND LITERATURE

Freemasonry remains a relatively underexplored subject in the Armenian historiography. Specifically, the perception of Freemasonry within in the second half of the 19th century Armenian periodicals and literature has not been extensively studied. This article aims to address this gap and presents a novel contribution to the field. The limited research on this topic is largely due to the secretive nature of Masonic lodges and the general public’s limited understanding of Freemasonry. Hovhannes Chamurchyan Teroients, a prominent figure in the Western Armenian national-conservative movement, critiques Freemasonry through his writings in the newspaper “Yerevak” and the foreword to “Council Secret Society”. He labels the “Hayk” (“Orion”) branch of the Manchester fraternal society as a Masonic lodge, accusing its founders of concealing its true nature. He characterizes Freemasons as irreligious and immoral, viewing Masonic lodges as dangerous, abhorrent entities opposed to religion and ethics. Daniel Varuzhan and Garegin Srvandztyan identified Freemasonry and Protestantism as being identical.In contrast, Serovbe Aznavour, a leading advocate of Western Armenian Freemasonry, along with Karapet Yutuchyan (editor of Masis), publicist Serovbe Tagvoryan, and H. M. Gabrielyan, portray Freemasonry as an organization committed to noble goals, engaged in charitable work, and grounded in moral and humanitarian principles. Stepan Papazyan, editor of the newspaper “Zhamanak” considered freedom, equality and fraternity to be the basic principle of Freemasonry. In 19th century Armenian literature, Freemasonry is often mistakenly associated with Protestantism or Lutheranism. Literary figures such as Ashugh Jivani, Mikael Nalbandyan, Muratsan, Raffi, and Perch Proshyan depict Freemasons as infidels and heretics, challenging traditional Armenian religious beliefs and identifying as brothers without worshiping the Armenian God