Freemasonry in Russia started in the 18th century and has continued to the present day. Russian Freemasonry pursue humanistic and educational purposes, but more attention is given to ethical issues. It was a spiritual community of people united in an effort to contribute to the prosperity of the Motherland and the enlightenment of the people living in it.

History

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

was brought to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

by foreign officers in service to the Russian military. Russian Freemasonry dates its foundation to the activities of

Franz Lefort Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

Jacob Bruce }, tr. ; 11 May 1669 – 30 April 1735) was a Russian general, statesman, diplomat and scientist of Scottish descent (Clan Bruce), one of the chief associates of Peter the Great. According to his own record, his ancestors had lived in Russia s ...

and

Patrick Gordon Patrick Leopold Gordon of Auchleuchries (31 March 1635 – 29 November 1699) was a general and rear admiral in Russia, of Scottish origin. He was descended from a family of Aberdeenshire, holders of the estate of Auchleuchries, near Ellon. The ...

in the

German Quarter German Quarter (russian: Неме́цкая слобода́, ''Nemetskaya sloboda''), also known as the Kukuy Quarter (), was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River east of Kukuy Creek (he ...

of Moscow. James Keith is recorded as being master of a lodge in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in 1732–34.Andrew MacKillop, Steve Murdoch. ''Military Governors and Imperial Frontiers c. 1600-1800: A Study of Scotland and Empires''. Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. Page 103. Several years later his cousin

John Keith, 3rd Earl of Kintore Earl of Kintore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1677 for Sir John Keith, third son of William Keith, 6th Hereditary Earl Marischal of Scotland (see Earl Marischal for earlier history of the family) and Chief of Clan ...

was appointed provincial grand master of Russia by the

Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

's factotum

Ivan Yelagin Ivan Perfilievich Yelagin (russian: Иван Перфильевич Елагин; 1725–94) was a Russian Imperial historian, an amateur poet and translator who acted as unofficial secretary to Catherine the Great in the early years of her rei ...

succeeded in reorganizing Russian Freemasonry into a far-reaching nationwide system that united some 14 lodges and about 400 government officials. He secured English authorization of the first Russian Grand Lodge and became its provincial grand master. He favoured an archaic ritual of blood initiation which involved a symbolic commingling of blood. Yelagin's chief rival was George von Reichel from

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

who championed a different system introduced by Johann Wilhelm Kellner von Zinnendorf, the grand master of the

Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany The Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany (''Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland'', GLL FvD or GLL), also: Order of Freemasons (''Freimaurerorden'', FO) is a Masonic Grand Lodge in Germany. It is one of the founding members of ...

. At least seven lodges founded in 1772-76 acknowledged Reichel's authority. The Yelagin-Reichel feud was ended in 1776 by the unification of all the Russian lodges under the auspices of the

Minerva zu den drei Palmen Lodge Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

in Berlin. The following year

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

went to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to initiate Grand Duke Paul into Masonry. Simeon Gamaleya

In 1781,

Nikolay Novikov Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Новико́в) (, Moscow Governorate – . Moscow Governorate) was a Russian writer and philanthropy, philanthropist most representative of his country's Russian Enlighten ...

and Ivan Schwarz, two professors of the

Moscow University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

, set up the Learned Society of Friends in that city. They were dissatisfied with the

Swedish Rite The Swedish Rite is a variation or Rite of Freemasonry that is common in Scandinavian countries and to a limited extent in Germany. It is different from other branches of Freemasonry in that, rather than having the three self-contained foundati ...

that was practised in St. Petersburg. Duke

Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

as the grand master of the lodges in Germany invited Schwarz to take part in the Wilhelmsbad Masonic Congress (1782) where Russia was recognized as the 8th autonomous province of the

Rite of Strict Observance The Rite of Strict Observance was a Rite of Freemasonry, a series of progressive degrees that were conferred by the Order of Strict Observance, a Masonic body of the 18th century. History Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund (1722–1776) introduced a ...

. A schism developed between the lodges of Moscow and St. Petersburg as the former drifted toward a form of

Rosicrucianism Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

suspected the Masons of turning her son Paul against herself, of being a tool in the hands of her enemy King of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, and viewed their attitude toward women as backwards. In 1785, she clamped down upon Novikov's printing house and had some 461 titles confiscated. When she saw her new palace in Tsaritsyno adorned with ornamentation suggestive of the cryptic symbols of Freemasonry, Catherine had it pulled down. Novikov was later jailed, and other leading Freemasons had to flee Russia. Anti-Masonic measures were revoked as soon as Paul ascended the Russian throne in 1796. Increasingly haunted by the spectre of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, Paul came to distrust Freemasonry and

Martinism Martinism is a form of Christian mysticism and esoteric Christianity concerned with the fall of the first man, his state of material privation from his divine source, and the process of his return, called 'Reintegration'. As a mystical traditio ...

. Within three years of his reign all secret societies were suppressed, and the lodges closed of their own accord. Two years later Paul was assassinated. The lodges flourished under his successor

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

, although it remains unknown whether Alexander himself was an initiate. The most influential figure of this period was Alexander Labzin. Vitberg Cathedral

The Grand Lodge Astraea was formed in 1815. It united nineteen smaller lodges and counted 1404 members. Its rival was the Swedish Provincial Lodge of Russia, with seven smaller feuding lodges under its umbrella and 230 members.

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

describes some of the rituals in his novel ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' and mentions Fyodor Klyucharyov, a noted Masonic poet. According to

Filipp Vigel Filipp Filippovich Vigel (Филипп Филиппович Вигель, ''Philip Philipovich Weigel''; 1786-1856) was a Russian noble of Swedish extraction who served in the foreign ministry, accompanied Count Golovkin on his 1805 mission to Chi ...

, Freemasonry did little but to provide a fashionable pastime for bored nobles. As Emperor Alexander grew increasingly conservative, the Masonic-style political clubs were outlawed in 1822. This interdict was extended by Nicholas I in the wake of the

Decembrist Uprising The Decembrist Revolt ( ru , Восстание декабристов, translit = Vosstaniye dekabristov , translation = Uprising of the Decembrists) took place in Russia on , during the interregnum following the sudden death of Emperor Ale ...

, since the Decembrists had sprung from the Masonic lodges. Freemasonry was legalized and enjoyed a brief revival after the

First Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

. The Grand Orient of Russian People seceded from the

Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonry, Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly ab ...

, with

Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov Nikolai Vissarionovich Nekrasov (russian: Никола́й Виссарио́нович Некра́сов) (, Saint Petersburg – May 7, 1940, Moscow) was a Russian liberal politician and the last Governor-General of Finland. Biography Parliam ...

and Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky as its main leaders. The

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

had all the lodges closed in the wake of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

in 1917.

Grand Lodge of Russia

In 1992 and 1993, on the territory of Russia, the

Grande Loge Nationale Française The Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF) is a French Masonic Grand Lodge. It was founded in 1913, by two lodges, "Le Centre des Amis" Lodge splitting from Grand Orient de France and "L'Anglaise" lodge, an independent lodge based in Bordeaux. GL ...

, created the lodge: "Harmony" (Moscow), "Lotus" (Moscow), "New Astrea" (St. Petersburg), "Gamayun" (Voronezh).Сергей Карпачев. Масоны. Словарь. Великое искусство каменщиков. — М.: «АСТ: Олимп», 2008. — с. 82. —

* Lodge "Harmony" was established on January 14, 1992, in Paris. This Lodge was created through the regularization of brothers from the lodge "Astrea» No. 100 GNLF. * Lodge "New Astrea" was established on June 24, 1993, in St. Petersburg. * The Voronezh-based lodge "Gamayun" was established on June 24, 1993, in St. Petersburg. * Lodge "Lotus “ was established on October 12, 1993, in Moscow. The Grand Lodge of Russia was established 24 June 1995 in Moscow. The founders of the Grand Lodge of Russia are made up by the Grande Loge Nationale Française and the four lodges previously created on the territory of Russia ("Harmony", "Lotus", "Astrea", "Gamayun"). The first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Russia, through election, was Georgiy Dergachev. On the 2nd of July 2016, the GLoR counted near of 700 freemasons united over 33 Lodges. The current Grand Master of the GLoR is

Andrei Vladimirovich Bogdanov Andrey Vladimirovich Bogdanov (Russian Андре́й Влади́мирович Богда́нов) (born January 31, 1970) is a Russian politician. He is the chairman of the Communist Party of Social Justice and a prominent Freemason, serving ...

. The Grand Lodge of Russia is an integral part of most of the represented Masonic bodies in the world - the regular

has mutual recognition with the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

(1996) and more than 100 Grand Lodges in the world.

United Grand Lodge of Russia

In March 2001, about 100 Freemasons left the Grand Lodge of Russia. The reason for the exit was: ''the disagreement of the brothers with the domestic policy pursued by the then leadership of Grand Lodge of Russia''. From the three-volume book on the history of Russian Freemasonry in the 20th century by the historian of Freemasonry Andrey Serkov it follows that the following lodges have left: Harmony No. 1, Lotus No. 2, Astrea No. 3, Jupiter No. 7, Quatuor Coronati No. 8 and the Orion No. 15. On April 16, 2001, a constituent assembly was held, after which it was announced the creation of the “Russian Grand Regular Lodge” (RGRL). In 2007, after the GLR assembly, a group of Masons, members of the Harmony, Lotus, Phoenix, left GLR. After the release of the members of the GLR, they held a meeting with the members of the Russian Grand Regular Lodge, during which it was decided to unite and choose their name - the ''Grand Lodge of Russia''. A clarification was added to the new name, led by the ''Grand Master A. S.''. In June 2008, some members of the association decided to establish relations with the

Grand Lodge of France Grande Loge de France (G∴L∴D∴F∴) is a Masonic obedience based in France. Its conception of Freemasonry is spiritual, traditional and initiatory. Its ritual is centred on the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It sees itself as occupying a ...

. On October 11, 2008, at its solemn assembly, under the patronage of the Grand Lodge of France, the United Grand Lodge of Russia (UGLR) was established. The United Grand Lodge of Russia was granted a patent of the Grand Lodge of France for the right to carry out work on the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The United Grand Lodge of Russia was included in the establishment of 11 lodges. On the 2nd of July 2019, the UGLR counted near of 200 freemasons united over 11 Lodges. The current Grand Master of the UGLR is Yuri Arkhangelsky.

Masonic organizations in Russia

* Grand Lodge of Russia - 700 members in 33 lodges; * United Grand Lodge of Russia - 200 members in 11 lodges; *

Grand Orient of France The Grand Orient de France (GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly absorbed the r ...

- 40 members in 2 lodges; *

- 20 members in 1 lodge; * Women's Grand Lodge Of France - 30 sisters in 1 lodge; *

Le Droit Humain The International Order of Freemasonry ''Le Droit Humain'' is a global Masonic Order, membership of which is available to men and women on equal terms, regardless of nationality, religion or ethnicity. History The Order is founded on the an ...

- 40 members in 2 lodges.

Bibliography

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Учение древнего любомудрия и богомудрия, или Наука свободных каменщиков; из разных творцов светских, духовных и мистических собранная и в 5 частях предложенная И. Е., великим российской провинциальной ложи мастером. Начато в 1786 г. Повесть о себе самом
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* Захаров В. Ю. Основные этапы развития масонства в России, его соотношение с конституционализмом http://www.zpu-journal.ru/e-zpu/2008/6/Zakharov_masonry/ Электронный журнал «Знание. Понимание. Умение» 2008

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Принятие в масоны в 1815 году / Сообщ. П. А. Степанов
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References

External links

{{Commons category, Freemasonry in Russia
Grand Lodge of Russia

United Grand Lodge of Russia