St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist

"Masonic Lodges are dedicated to the St. John" - Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry By R. Swinburne Clymer pg. 60

Masons historically celebrate two feasts of Saint John. The feast of John the Baptist falls on 24 June, and that of John the Evangelist on 27 December, roughly marking mid-summer and mid-winter.

"It was conceded, that the Freemasonry of our days (St. John's Freemasonry) sprang from the Building Fraternities of the Middle Ages, but at the same time asserted that in the early ages there existed a secret society, which strove to
compass the perfecting of the human race, precisely in the same manner, and employing similar means, as did the Swedish system, which, in fact, only followed in the wake of its predecessor, being concealed in the Building Fraternities, so that our Society did not rise from them, hut made itself a way through them. The Secret Science, the Mystery, was very ancient indeed. This mystery formed the secret of the
Higher Degrees of the Rite, which were not merely kept hidden from the rest of the confederation, out also from the members of the inferior degrees of the system itself. This mystery was fully confirmed by documents, which the Grand Lodge of Germany had in its keeping." - Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry By R. Swinburne Clymer pg. 73

"The fact that each, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, were Eminent Essenes, is a sufficient reason why, in later times, Masons should dedicate their lodges to them without looking for or assigning any others, although doubtless our ancient brethren had other reasons. Masonic Monitors say: 'And since their time (St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist), there is represented in every regular and well-governed Lodge a certain point within a circle, embordered by two perpendicular parallel lines, representing St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, and upon the top rests the Holy Scripture. The two parallel lines which in the modern lectures are said to represent St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, really allude to particular periods in the sun 's annual course. At two particular points in this course the Sun is found on the Zodiacal signs, Cancer and Capricorn, which are distinguished as the summer and winter solstices. When the sun is in these points, he has reached his greatest northern and southern limits. These points, if we suppose the circle to represent the sun's annual course, will be indicated by the points where the parallel lines touch the circle. " - Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry By R. Swinburne Clymer pg.  161-162