Grand Order of Quercians

Quercians, or Grand Ordre des Quéciens, Quercian Brotherhood, a secret religious order of French priests and monks who were known for their theological and spiritual beliefs.

The Quercians were also credited with the revival of literature that was deemed to be a threat to the Church during the Inquisition and kept to themselves.

They wrote books on exorcisms and banishing otherworldly creatures that are harmful to humanity and the spirit which was in danger of becoming possessed.

Their most famous book of all was the Book of Bestial Things that was sought after by many people over the centuries.

History
The Quercian Order started in the 12th century during the Middle Ages and founded the Eau-du-Quércy Monastery in 1355.

Every several years the Quercian Brothers met in Paris to discuss religious affairs with other orders and kept everything from the Catholic Church due to the threat of persecution.

In 1378 the order had many as 5,000 followers in order itself.

In 1455 the Quercian Brothers traveled to the Holy Land to find ancient relics linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Quercian leader named Sieur Jean Merquette found the legendary site where Christ was crucified.

Then Merquette sailed to an unknown island in the Atlantic Ocean and then returned to Eau-du-Quércy to write about his discoveries in the Levant. In 1507 Merquette died from an unknown illness.

Quercians in the New World
In 1657 some Quercian Brothers migrated to the New World and settled in secluded areas of what is now New England in the Lake Champlain, Vermont area.

However, some members got married and started families.

The descendants of the Quercian Brothers carried on the work of their ancestors especially the Merquette family who settled in the Green Mountains.

Antoine Merquette became the founder of the Quercian Brothers of Boston in 1848 and became the largest branch of the order in New England.

However, the Quercian Brothers kept to themselves and also their own religious beliefs were written down in secret.

In 1855 Merquette died in Boston, Massachusetts, and was buried in a churchyard in Burlington, Vermont and a statue of him is located in Eastbury.

Then in 1856 his son John Merquette became head of the Quercian Order and was in charge of protecting the sacred rites in the group.

Controversies
The Quercians faced some controversy over their exclusion of the Catholic Diocese of Eastbury and claimed that the Catholics always looked at them as heretics.

This was settled in 1972 when the local Catholic leaders held a conference and atoned for past persecution and excommunication of the group.