History of Freemasonry in Russia

Russian Freemasonry pursue humanistic and educational purposes, but more attention is given to ethical issues.

Russian Freemasonry dates its foundation to the activities of Franz Lefort, Jacob Bruce and Patrick Gordon in the German Quarter of Moscow.

[2] Catherine II's factotum Ivan Yelagin succeeded in reorganizing Russian Freemasonry into a far-reaching nationwide system that united some 14 lodges and about 400 government officials.

The following year Gustav III of Sweden went to St. Petersburg to initiate Grand Duke Paul into Masonry.

[4] In 1781, Nikolay Novikov and Ivan Schwarz, two professors of the Moscow University, set up the Learned Society of Friends in that city.

Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 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.

[6] Catherine the Great suspected the Masons of turning her son Paul against herself, of being a tool in the hands of her enemy King of Prussia, and viewed their attitude toward women as backwards.

When she saw her new palace in Tsaritsyno adorned with ornamentation suggestive of the cryptic symbols of Freemasonry, Catherine had it pulled down.

Increasingly haunted by the spectre of the French Revolution, Paul came to distrust Freemasonry and Martinism.

Leo Tolstoy describes some of the rituals in his novel War and Peace and mentions Fyodor Klyucharyov, a noted Masonic poet.

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.

[17] On April 16, 2001, a constituent assembly was held, after which it was announced the creation of the “Russian Grand Regular Lodge” (RGRL).