The Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: ''Schweizerische Grossloge Alpina'') (
French: ''Grande Loge Suisse Alpina'') is one of the
Grand Lodges
A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country.
In Freemasonry
A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...
of
Freemasons in Switzerland.
History
The Grand Lodge was founded in 1844. At the time of the foundation there were said to be around 30 masonic lodges operating in Switzerland.
In 1921, it became a founding member of the
International Masonic Association in alliance with the
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 ...
,
Grand Orient of Belgium
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and c ...
,
Grand Orient of the Netherlands
The Grand Orient of the Netherlands or Grand East of the Netherlands (Dutch: ''Orde van Vrijmetselaren onder het Grootoosten der Nederlanden'') is a Masonic Grand Lodge in the Netherlands. It falls within the mainstream Anglo-American tradition of ...
and the
Grand Orient of Italy, amongst many others. Indeed, the international headquarters of the Association was at 20, rue Général-Dufour, Grande-Chancellerie,
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
, Switzerland. The first Grand Chancellor was a previous Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland;
Édouard Quartier-la-Tente. The second Grand Chancellor, too, had just retired as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland; Isaac Reverchon.
The right-wing Swiss Army colonel Arthur Fonjallaz attempted to orchestrate a legal ban on Freemasonry (and other societies) in the 1930s, apparently in sympathy with bans introduced by Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy at that period. The attempted ban was rejected by the Swiss people in 1937.
[
In 2008 the Grand Lodge listed 4,000 members in 83 lodges under its jurisdiction. It has since consecrated 3 further lodges, taking the total to 86.
In 2009 the Grand Lodge Alpina adopted an official position on women's freemasonry. In common with the United Grand Lodge of England, and many other regular masonic jurisdictions, Grand Lodge Alpina encourages its members and its lodges to cooperate with women's masonic lodges in social events and charitable endeavours, but maintains entirely separate organisation and ceremonial, with no inter-visitation between formal meeting of male and female lodges.
]
Recognition
The Grand Lodge Alpina is recognised by 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 ...
(UGLE). UGLE recognition is a significant indicator of a Regular Masonic jurisdiction
:''This article deals with organization in ''Craft'' or ''Blue Lodge'' Freemasonry. See the appropriate article for information on organization in appendant Masonic bodies such as York Rite and Scottish Rite.''
In Freemasonry, regularity is one ...
. Although traditionally linked to the more liberal Continental Freemasonry
Continental Freemasonry, otherwise known as Liberal Freemasonry, Latin Freemasonry, and Adogmatic Freemasonry, includes the Masonic lodges, primarily on the European continent, that recognize the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) or belong to CLIPS ...
of the Grand Orient de France, Alpina became closer to 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 ...
after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, leading to official recognition. As a result, some liberal members left the Grand Lodge, and ultimately set up the rival Grand Orient de Suisse.
Many members of the Grand Lodge Alpina also belong to the Helvetica Lodge No 4894 (UGLE) in London, which exists to serve Swiss freemasons in England, and to cement Anglo-Swiss relations.
Grand Masters
* 1844 - 1850 : Johann Jakob Hottinger (1783-1860)
* 1850 - 1856 : Karl Gustav Jung
Karl Gustav Jung (7 September 1795 in Mannheim – 12 June 1864 in Basel) was a German-Swiss medical doctor, political activist, professor of Medicine at the University of Basel, administrator and freemason.
Life
Karl Gustav Jung was the ...
(1794-1864)
* 1856 - 1862 : Abram Daniel Meystre (1813-1870)
* 1862 - 1868 : Ernst F. Gelpke (1807-1870)
* 1868 - 1871 : Johann Jakob Rüegg (1830-1884)
* 1871 - 1874 : Aimé Humbert
Aimé Humbert-Droz (29 June 1819, in La Chaux-de-Fonds – 19 September 1900, in Neuchâtel) was a Swiss politician, traveler and educator.
He was elected President of the Swiss Council of States in 1856 and President of the Union Horlogère Su ...
(1819-1900)
* 1874 - 1878 : Karl Tscharner (1812)[.]
* 1878 - 1884 : John Cuénod (1822-1900)[.]
* 1895 - 1900 : Caspar Friedrich Hausmann (1845-1920)[.]
* 1947 - 1952 : Albert Natural (1880-1960)[.]
* 1961 - 1962 : Harald Ziegler (1906-1977)[À la suite de la décision prise par la majorité des loges suisses alémaniques contre une minorité de loges romandes de reconnaître la Grande Loge régulière de Belgique et d'enlever sa reconnaissance à la Grande Loge de Belgique, ainsi qu'exigé par la Grande Loge unie d'Angleterre. .]
* 1986 - 1990 : Walter von Ins (1922)
* 1990 - 1994 : André Binggeli (1925)
* 1994 - 1997 : Hans Bühler
* 1997 - 2000 : Jean-Jacques Sunier
* 2001 - 2004 : Alberto Menasche (1936)
* 2005 - 2009 : Bruno Welti
* 2010 - 2014 : Jean-Michel Mascherpa (1942)
* 2015 - 2018 : Maurice Zahnd
* 2019 - 2022 : Dominique Juilland (1953)
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{Freemasonry in Europe
Suisse Alpina
Freemasonry in Switzerland
1844 establishments in Switzerland