.jpg)
The Order of the Pug (or Mops-Orden) was a secret society founded in the early 18th century, around 1740, in response to the prohibition of Catholics joining Freemasonry by Pope Clement XII's papal bull In eminenti apostolatus (1738). The society was created to offer Catholics a safe space to engage in secretive activities that were otherwise restricted.
The order's members adopted the pug dog as their symbol, representing qualities like loyalty, steadfastness, and trustworthiness. Members were known as "Mops," which is the German word for pug.
The initiation rituals of the society were distinctive and somewhat whimsical: new members would wear a dog collar and perform actions like crawling on all fours, scratching at doors, and kissing the backside of a porcelain pug figurine as a symbol of devotion.
One unique aspect of the Order of the Pug was that it allowed women to become members, which was quite progressive for its time, as many secret societies were exclusively male.
The order’s existence was short-lived. In 1745, an abbot named Gabriel-Louis-Calabre Pérau published a book revealing the society's secrets, leading to its disbandment just a few years later in 1748.
Despite its brief existence, the Order of the Pug is remembered as an intriguing example of the eccentric and secretive societies that flourished during that period.