Crypt (Freemasonry)

The degrees of the royal and chosen masters were not originally combined into one system, each degree was assigned separately and was initially governed by separate councils. The degree of the chosen master is the oldest degree of this charter. Subsequently, the degree of the royal master from the Royal Arch was added to this degree, which led to the exaltation of the degree. This explains the fact that control over the degrees of Crypta fluctuated back and forth in many jurisdictions, even after the formation of supreme councils.

The master’s degree was developed in New York under the direction of Thomas Launds, while Philippe Eckel announced the master’s degree in Baltimore. Eckel argued that the Supreme Council of Elected Masters was created in Baltimore in 1792, while the Supreme Council of Royal Masters was organized in 1810 in New York. All that remained was for Jeremy Cross to combine the two degrees in one system. This association occurred around 1818 and was adopted in most jurisdictions.

The super master degree is not related to the other two degrees in the Crypta Charter. Entries from St. Andrew's Chapter in Boston show that a degree with a similar name appears in the second half of the eighteenth century. The earliest positive reference to the degree of super excellent master, in relation to the Charter of Crypta, dates back to December 22, 1817, when the first box of super excellent craftsmen was organized by the Columbia Council of Royal Masters in New York. Incidents, teachings, and the ritual format of a super excellent master’s degree bear no resemblance to similar degree names, since they are American in origin. This degree has been and remains to this day quite controversial. It is assigned as one of the regular degrees of the Crypta Charter, in some jurisdictions, while in other jurisdictions it is awarded only as an honorary degree.

• Royal master
• Chosen Master
• Super excellent master

In some tips, between the degrees of the chosen one and the super excellent master it is proposed to pass the degree of a very excellent master .

Local Council of Royal and Elected Masters

The Council functions in much the same way as Masonic lodges; he has a composition of officers and a ritual system of degrees, which consists of three degrees: a royal master, an elected master and a super excellent master. A super master degree is not required in some jurisdictions. Different positions in the box are modeled immediately after symbolic Freemasonry, and although the names often differ, the responsibilities are pretty much the same. Their placement is slightly different, all three council principals are sitting in the east of the box, while the guard and the ritualist are sitting on the west and south sides.

Supreme Council

Each state of the United States has its own supreme council, which performs the same administrative functions that the subordinate council, as a grand lodge, does for its subordinate lodges. Other countries have either national supreme councils or in each state. The Council also has its equivalents as officers, as in the Grand Box .

General Supreme Council

Many of the supreme councils around the world are members of an umbrella group called the General Supreme Council of Freemasons of Crypta, which was founded on August 25, 1880 ^[1] . He publishes a quarterly magazine called the Mason Crypts and supports the Masonic Medical Research Foundation Crypts ^[2] .

• York charter
• Royal arch
• Order of the Knights of Masons
• Order of the Masters of Masons tags
• Order of the Red Cross Konstantin
• Order of the Secret Mentor
• Organization of additional degrees