The House of the Temple is a Masonic temple in Washington, D.C., United States that serves as the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. (officially, "Home of The Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Washington D.C., U.S.A.")
It is located at the corner of 16th Street and S Street, Northwest in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The full name of the Supreme Council is "The Supreme Council (Mother Council of the World) of the Inspectors General Knights Commander of the House of the Temple of Solomon of the Thirty-third degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America."
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History
The temple was modeled after the Mausoleum of Mausolus[1] and designed by John Russell Pope. Ground was broken on May 31, 1911 and the cornerstone was laid on October 18, 1911. The building was dedicated four years later on October 18, 1915.
An alcove in the temple holds the remains of Confederate general and former Sovereign Grand Commander Albert Pike. Pike was the author of an 1871 book called Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, a book that describes in detail the 33 ranks of Freemasonry, the stories and teachings associated with each rank, the rituals connected to each rank, and other lodge proceedings.
The temple also holds one of the largest collections of Masonic books and minutes, with over 250,000 titles in its library.
In popular culture
The House of the Temple is the setting for the prologue and the dramatic climax of the novel The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.[2]
See also
- List of Masonic buildings
- List of museums in Washington, D.C.
- Supreme Council, Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction, USA)
Notes
- ^ "Secret of the Masons: It's Not So Secret". NPR. September 16, 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112884584&ps=cprs. Retrieved September 18, 2009.
- ^ Dan Brown (2009) The Lost Symbol (New York: Doubleday).
References
- Phoenixmasonry, Inc. (2006). Scottish Rite of Freemasonry House of the Temple. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- U.S. News and World Report (2005). After The DaVinci Code.
- The Supreme Council, 33°, A.& A.S.R. of Freemasonry, S.J., USA (2007). FAQs About Masonry
External links
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Coordinates: 38°54′50″N 77°02′09″W / 38.9138°N 77.0359°W
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