Freemasonry in Belgium comprises several

Masonic 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 ...

obediences, a federation and a confederation. These include Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain and Lithos Confederation of Lodges.

History

Freemasonry began in Belgium whilst the region was ruled by Austria, and later came under influence from Freemasonry in France (following the area's annexation) and the Netherlands (in the period between 1815 and 1830). When the state of Belgium was formed in 1830, Freemasonry there expanded greatly, but faced dramatic changes and challenges over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today

Grand Orient of Belgium

The

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 ...

(French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van België G.O.B.) is for men only and works in the first three degrees of Freemasonry. It was founded in 1833, three years after the independence of Belgium, and joined 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 ...

and other Continental jurisdictions in not requiring initiates to believe in a

Supreme Being In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

. In 1989 the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium and the Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain signed an agreement of mutual recognition.

Grand Lodge of Belgium

The Grand Lodge of Belgium (French: Grande Loge de Belgique, Dutch: Grootloge van België, G.L.B.) is for men only, and works in the first three degrees of Freemasonry. It was founded in 1959 by 5 lodges of the Grand Orient of Belgium in order to regain recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England. When in 1979 this recognition was lost again, 9 lodges founded the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium. In 1989, the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Lodge of Belgium, the Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium and the Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain signed an agreement of mutual recognition.

Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium

The Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium (French: ''La Grande Loge Régulière de Belgique'', Dutch: ''Reguliere Grootloge van België'', R.G.L.B.) is for men only and works in the first three degrees of Freemasonry. It was founded on 15 June 1979 by 9 lodges after the Grand Lodge of Belgium lost its recognition from the United Grand Lodge of England. Today it has nearly 57 lodges throughout Belgium.

Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain

The Belgian Federation of

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 ...

(French: Fédération belge du Droit Humain, Dutch: Belgische Federatie Le Droit Humain) with more than 7,800 members working in 112 French-speaking, Dutch-speaking or bilingual Lodges.

Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium

The Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium (French: Grande Loge Féminine de Belgique, Dutch: Vrouwengrootloge van België) is a Masonic obedience for women only which works in the first three degrees of Freemasonry. The Grande Loge Féminine de France founded its first lodge in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

on 20 April 1974, followed by three more in Liège, Brussels and Charleroi. The Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium was founded on 17 October 1981.

Other Masonic rites

Various iterations of the

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the S ...

exist in Belgium. The oldest is the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite under the leadership of the "Supreme Council of Belgium". Another is the Souverain Collège du Rite écossais pour la Belgique, founded in 1962.

References

Sources

Leo Apostel Leo Apostel (Antwerp, 4 September 1925 – Ghent, 10 August 1995) was a Belgian philosopher and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University. Apostel was an advocate of interdisciplinary research and the bridging of the gap b ...

, ''Freemasonry, a philosophical essay'', VUB, 1985. * Hugo De Schapheleire, Roger Desmed, Els Witte, Maur. A. Arnould, ''Een eeuw vrijmetselarij in onze gewesten 1740-1840'', Brussel 1983 * Hervé Hasquin (ed.), ''Visages de la franc-maçonnerie belge du XVIIIe au XXe siècle'', Ed. ULB, Bruxelles, 1983

External links

G.O.B.

G.L.B.

Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain

International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women, LE DROIT HUMAIN
{{Freemasonry in Europe