THE BUILDER JUNE 1927

RUSSIAN FREEMASONRY

The following brief account was written for THE BUILDER by a Russian Mason now
living in Paris with many others of his countrymen. For very good reasons it
is not expedient that his name should appear. It has been generally supposed
that Masonry was non-existent in Russia, and it is very interesting to learn
that it survived in some form through a century of prohibition and
persecution.

A well-established tradition claims that the first Russian Free
Mason was Peter the Great. He was initiated by Sir Christopher
Wren in one of the English Lodges in Amsterdam. There are,
however, no documents to prove it.

The history of Russian Freemasonry can be divided into three
periods.

I.--1731-1771. Membership is confined to foreigners residing in
Russia, a few officers of the Guard and a few Statesmen. The
tendency is mystic, the influence negligible.

II.--1772-1794. There are Three Mason's bodies.

(1) Yolaguine's group--St. Petersburg--work: selfperfection, moral
uplift, struggle against the ideas of Voltaire. Disappears about
1780.

(2) Swedish Rite--St. Petersburg--Prince Gagarine, Grand Master--
joins on to preceding and shares its fate.

(3) Grand National L.--Moscow--led by Novikoff and Schwarz working
under a strong influence of the Moscow Rosy Cross. Fraternity and
of the Order of the Martinists. This group exercised a very strong
influence of its period and of the future in Russian Freemasonry
and was a potent intellectual factor in contemporary society. It
chiefly attached itself to educational and charitable work and
carried these on a vast scale until it fell under the general ban
on Freemasonry imposed by Catherine II in 1794.

III.--1801-1822. Irregular Russian G. L. "Wladimir to Order" in
1810 fell under the Swedish Jurisdiction. This G. L. as such had
little influence, but counted many influential people among its
members.

As a reaction against the influence of Higher Degrees there was
founded in 1814 in Paris, under the auspices of the Grand Orient
of France and out of the federation of 5 military L. L. a new
Grand Lodge, "Astree."

At the end of Napoleonic wars and with the return of the army to
Russia this M. body grew to the extent of having 40 Lodges under
its jurisdiction.

Under French influence these Lodges turned their attention to
politics and ended their career in the turmoil of the attempted
revolution in December, 1825.

During the whole of the XIX century Russian Freemasonry remains if
not completely dormant at least entirely hidden and entirely
negligible

The revival of interest in spiritual matter which coincided with
the beginning of the XX century brought about a revival of
interest in Freemasonry.

A few prominent Russian intellectuals joined French Lodge.
Professor Bajenoff joined in 1884 in Paris the L. of the S. R.
"Les Amis Reunis".

M. Iablotchkoff--the world famous electrician was the founder of
the Lodge "Cosmos" A. A. S. R., in Paris.

In 1906, in Paris, about fifteen rising Russian politicians joined
French L. L.

On their return to Russia these Bro. of whom the greater part had
joined L. L. under the G. O. of France, formed two L. L.--one in
St. Petersburg, "The Polar Star," and one in Moscow. These L. L.
were installed with great ceremony in May, 1908, by two
representatives of the G. O. of France.

Up to 1906 six L. L. were founded.

After an interval in their activity occasioned by police
restrictions these L. L. were reopened in 1911. They worked under
the G. O. of France, had practically no Ritual and had an avowedly
political aim in view, namely that of the overthrow of Autocracy.
There was a "Supreme Council" (?)--an exclusively administrative
body whose members were elected for three years.

This Masonic organization had no regularity and enjoyed no
recognition abroad.

In 1913-1914 it had about 42 Lodges, chiefly composed of members
of the "Cadet" party.

The first revolution in March, 1917, was doubtlessly inspired and
manipulated from these Lodges.

All the members of Kerensky's Government belonged to the Masonry.

After the Bolshevik revolution the greater part of the members of
these Lodges emigrated abroad.

After a long spell of inactivity they at length succeeded in
forming again under the auspices of the G. O. of France a new
"Polar Star" Lodge in Paris. This up to now claims but few members
and enjoys no recognition outside of the G. O. of France. Its
President is Bro. W. Avksentieff, who is also the President of the
Russian Socialist-Revolutionary Party and a former Minister of the
Kerensky Government.

There also existed in Russia English, Italian and German Lodges as
well as an organization of the Martinists.
