The Order of the Pug
In 1738, Roman Catholics founded a society called The Order of the Pug.
The pug was a symbol of devotion and reliability. However, the society wasn’t without its questionable traditions.
New members were expected to wear a dog collar. They also had to scratch at the door before entering. But the dog-like rituals didn’t end there.
During the initiation of new Pugs, the blindfolded novices had to circle a carpet while their fellow Pugs barked obnoxiously from the sidelines.
They were also expected to kiss the posterior of a porcelain pug statue — a symbol of their loyalty to the order.
After this, they were presented with their very own silver medallion (yes, in the shape of a pug).
But why did this bizarre order exist at all? At the time, Pope Clement XII had banned all Freemason groups.
Unhappy with this new rule, the aristocrat Clemens August of Bavaria founded The Order of The Pug as a way to escape the ban.
•
The Order of the Pug (German: Mops-Orden) was a para-Masonic society founded by Roman Catholics.
It is believed that it was founded in 1738 by Klemens August of Bavaria to bypass the crown's In eminenti apostolatus of 1738.
The constitution of the Order of the Pug allowed women to become members as long as they were Catholic.
The pug was chosen as a symbol of loyalty, trustworthiness and steadiness.
—
In eminenti apostolatus specula is a papal bull issued by Pope Clement XII on 28 April 1738, banning Catholics from becoming Freemasons. It arose from Jacobite-Hanoverian rivalry on the continent.
—
Clemens August of Bavaria (17 August 1700 – 6 February 1761) was an 18th-century member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne.
—
Pope Clement XII (7 April 1652 – 6 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740.
—
