The Secret History of Freemasonry

The Ancient Corporations: Colleges of Builders in Rome 15

The Collegia of Craftsmen in Roman Gaul

Roman institutions were actually established quite easily in Gaul, as
were the collegia. Specific traces of their existence have been detected in
Nice Cimiez. Collegia were also quite numerous in Provence and the
Narbonnaise, as well as in the Lugdunaise, where the collegia of the tig-
narii and the dendrophori, closely tied to municipal life, were located.
A list of trade colleges existing before the fourth century mentions the
presence of these institutions in Marseille, Aix, Aries, Vienne, Valence,
Nimes, Marbonne, and Lyon. Although the collegia appear to have had
less success penetrating northern Gaul, it can be assumed that colleges
of craftsmen were formed in the majority of the large towns in the
region. In Paris, excavations beneath Notre Dame in 1715 unearthed an
inscription dedicated to Jupiter by the nautoe parisiaci. It is likely
important colleges of builders were also located in Lutece after
Emperor Julian selected it for his dwelling and undertook important
construction there that has survived into the present. These colleges
must also have flourished in Treves, a rich Gallic capital; in Rhenanie,
where Roman remnants are so numerous; and in the Duchy of Nassau.^14

The Collegia in Great Britain

Given that modern Freemasonry can be traced directly to British origin,
there is good reason to linger more extensively on the history of the col-
legia of builders in Great Britain.
Several brigades of construction workers stationed with the Roman
legions in the countries bordering the Rhine were sent into Great
Britain by Emperor Claudius in 43 A.D. to protect Romans from
Scottish raids. Before their arrival, there were no towns or cities in this

them out of habit and you will win them all the easier to the worship of the true God."
This same saint said, "The Bretons perform sacrifices and give feasts on certain days:
Leave them their feasts; suppress only the sacrifices." We can conclude, with Eliphas
Levi (Histoire de la magie, Editions de la Maisnie, 1974): "Far from encouraging ancient
superstitions... Christianity restored life and soul to the surviving symbols of univer-
sal beliefs." This explains how Celtic traditions maintained in Gaul were later to be
found again in Romanesque art. See also M. Moreau, La tradition celtique dans l'Art
Roman (Paris: Editions Le Courrier du Livre, 1963) and Henri Hubert, Les Celtes et
l'expansion celtique jusqu'a l'epoque de la Tene (Paris: Albin Michel, 1950), 17-18.