On this day in 1916, Gerard Encausee (Papus) died in Paris, aged 51. One of the Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, Encausse was very active in late 19th century’s occult scene and involved with Theodor Reuss. He was an important figure in the French Gnostic Church which was an antecedent of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and eventually as made the Most Holy King of France by Reuss. There’s an excellent essay bby Tau Apiryon posted at: http://hermetic.com/sabazius/papus.htm
Among other things, this piece points out:L
“In 1893, Papus was consecrated a bishop of l’Église Gnostique de France by Jules Doinel, who had founded this Church as an attempt to revive the Cathar religion in 1890. In 1895, Doinel abdicated as Primate of the French Gnostic Church leaving control of the Church to a synod of three of his former bishops, one of whom was Papus. In March of the same year, Papus joined the Ahathoor Temple of the Golden Dawn in Paris.”
and
“He opposed Masonry as being atheistic, in contrast to the Esoteric Christianity of the Gnostic Church, the K.O.R.C. and the Martinist Order. Despite this, he organized what was announced as an ‘International Masonic Conference’ in Paris on June 24, 1908, and at this conference he received a patent from Theodor Reuss to establish a ‘Supreme Grand Council General of the Unified Rites of Antient and Primitive Masonry for the Grand Orient of France and its Dependencies at Paris.’ It was probably on the same occasion that Reuss conferred upon Papus the X° of O.T.O. for France, and Papus in turn assisted Reuss in the formation of the O.T.O. Gnostic Catholic Church as a child of l’Église Gnostique de France. When John Yarker died in 1913, Papus was elected as his successor to the office of Grand Hierophant (international head) of the Antient and Primitive Rites of Memphis and Mizraim.”
