128 THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES
of the arch, there is an enigmatic figure that some believe represents the
Baphomet of the Templars.^35
The presence of masons in this parish was confirmed as early as
1229 by a charter of that year that makes mention of the house of a cer-
tain Guillaume, cementarius. In older eras, chapels could be found in
Saint Merri dedicated to Saint Blaise, the patron saint of masons and
carpenters; Saint Nicholas, patron saint for carpenters alone; Saint
Anne, protector of home roofers; Saint John the Baptist; and Saint John
the Evangelist.^36 Saint Merri was dependent on the priory of the same
name, but was contiguous to the Temple's censive district. The rue de la
Verrerie, which was shared by the priory and the Temple, was inhab-
ited by a specific category of artists working on the construction of
churches and fine homes: the glassworkers and painters on glass, whose
confraternity, according to Rochegude, was established there in 1187.
Within the territory of Saint Merri was the chapel of the Holy
Sepulcher, erected in 1326, where sculptors and stone and plaster
engravers had a confraternity that celebrated Saint Jean Porte Latine on
his feast day of May 6. This church also housed an altar dedicated to
Saint Nicholas and Saint Giles and a chapel of Saint Nicholas. The
chapel of the Holy Sepulcher belonged to a confraternity who shared its
name. It was originally administered by pilgrims who had been to the
Holy Land, then later by four directors elected by the confraternity of
Saint John and assisted by a council. In 1454 an individual named Yves
Petit, a sworn mason of the king, was a member of this counsel.^37
In very close proximity to Saint Merri are Saint Paul, Saint Gervais.
and Saint Jean en Greve. These churches, among the oldest in Paris,
were connected to the Benedictine Orde, another suggestion of an asso-
ciation between these monks and the Templars.
The former church of Saint Paul, which should not be confused for
the current church of the Jesuits (Saint Paul and Saint Louis Church),
was located at the site of what are now numbers 30-34 on the rue Saint
Paul. An earlier oratory of this name is supposed to have been erected
by Saint Eloi. In 1107 it was reunited to the Benedictine priory Saint
Eloi, then later with the abbey of Saint Maur des Fosses. The church was
expanded and repaired under Charles V and was demolished in 1798.
The first church dedicated to Saint Gervais was built in the seventh