Freemasonry in Russia is a phenomenon of social life in Russia, which covers the period of history from the beginning of the 18th century to the present day. Russian Freemasonry pursues humanistic and educational goals, more attention is paid to ethical issues. In fact, it is a spiritual community of people united in striving to contribute to the prosperity of their Fatherland and the enlightenment of the people living in it.
In the 18th century
Freemasonry in Russia appeared in the middle of the 18th century. In Masonic legends, Peter I and his associates Franz Lefort and Patrick Gordon are often called the founders of Freemasonry in Russia. This version, however, has no documentary evidence.
The first reliable news of the emergence of the first Masonic organization in Russia dates back to 1731, when the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of London, Lord Lovel, appointed Captain John Philips as a provincial great master for Russia. The widespread spread of Freemasonry in Russia began with the founding of several Masonic lodges by General of the Russian Service, James Keith, in the 1740s. The documents of the Grand Lodge of England indicate that in 1741 he was appointed a provincial grand master for Russia. Initially, most of the members of the Russian lodges were foreigners - officers in the Russian service and merchants, but soon the number of Russian Masons by birth also began to grow. In the 1750s, a lodge worked in St. Petersburg under the leadership of Count R. I. Vorontsov.
For the first time, the government of the Russian Empire drew attention to Freemasons in 1747. There is news of the existence of the "Silence" lodge in St. Petersburg, and the "North Star" in Riga in 1750. In 1756, there was a St. Petersburg lodge, where Count R. I. Vorontsov was the master of the lodge, and the members were mostly young guard officers, many with names that were later significant for history: Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, I. N. Boltin, A. P. Sumarokov and others. Then the Freemasons were already under the supervision of the government and "instilled panic fear" in society. At the same time, according to legend, Emperor Peter III established a Masonic lodge in Oranienbaum and donated the house to the St. Petersburg Lodge "Constancy". In 1762 there was a “Happy Consent” lodge in St. Petersburg, recognized in 1763 by the Berlin Great National Mother Lodge “Three Globes”. During the search in the case of V. Ya. Mirovich, a fragment of the Masonic catechism (the first Russian manuscript of Freemasons) was found at his accomplice, the lieutenant of the Velikolutsk regiment, Apollo Ushakov. In 1766 there was a lodge of "St. Catherine" in Arkhangelsk. In 1770, a great provincial lodge was opened in St. Petersburg. Since that year, systematic records of the history of Freemasonry appear. According to Elagin, Freemasonry in Russia until 1770 was not of a serious nature:According to Elagin, Freemasonry in Russia until 1770 was not of a serious nature:According to Elagin, Freemasonry in Russia until 1770 was not of a serious nature:
"Paid attention to the ritual side, did a little charity, engaged in empty disputes that sometimes ended with the 'festivities of Bacchus'".
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Elagin Masonic Lodges
In 1772, the dignitary Ivan Perfilievich Elagin became a provincial great master, who reorganized the lodges that existed in Russia at that time into a single system. In addition to Elagin himself, the great provincial lodge he headed in St. Petersburg included such well-known Masons as Count R. I. Vorontsov (local master), Major General A. L. Shcherbachev, Prince I. V. Nesvitsky and others … Under the leadership of the Grand Lodge, headed by Elagin, 14 lodges worked in the first half of the 1870s:
- Parfaite Union Lodge (1771, master John Cayley);
- Lodge "Nine Muses" (1772, master I. P. Elagin);
- Lodge "Urania" (1773, master V. I. Lukin),
- Lodge "Bellona" (1773, master I. V. Nesvitsky),
- Lodge "Astrea" (1775, master YF Dubyansky),
- Lodge "Mars" (1774, Iasi, master P. I. Melissino),
- Lodge "Minerva" (1774, Sadogura, master Baron Gartenberg),
- Lodge "Modesty" (1750, St. Petersburg, from 1774 in the Elagin system),
- Lodge "Clio" (1774, Moscow),
- Lodge "Thalia" (1774, Moscow-Polotsk),
- Lodge "Equality" (1774, Moscow-St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Catherine of the Three Supports" (1774, Arkhangelsk),
- Lodge "Erato" (1774, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge under the direction of R. I. Vorontsov (Vladimir).
The total number of members of the Elagin lodges was approximately four hundred people.
Elagin developed an active activity both in the spread of Freemasonry and in its improvement. As a result, the system that prevailed in the lodges dependent on him is called "Elaginskaya". At first it was copied from English, and then the influences of other systems mixed in with it, even the influence of Rosicrucianism, which Elagin himself opposed, also mixed in.
Thanks to the research of academicians A. N. Pypin and P. P. Pekarsky, many details of the work carried out in the Elagin system of lodges and its differences from other systems are known. Academician Pekarsky found authentic rituals translated by Elagin from the acts of the Apollo lodge (established in 1771 by P. - B. Reichel in St. Petersburg, the first Russian lodge of the Zinnendorf system). Their peculiarity, in comparison with the old English ones, which can be found in the books "Joachin and Boaz, or the true key to the door of Freemasonry old and new" (1762) and "Three strong blows, or the door of ancient Freemasonry, open to all people", is in the so-called "Way", or "ordeals" of the newcomer during the reception: frightening effects are allowed in the form of a brother in a "bloody shit", swords directed against him,"Mixing blood … with the blood of our brethren." Even more effects are shown in the ceremony of raising a brother to the degree of a master, although these "embellishments" are simpler than what MM's report says. Olsufiev on the Freemasons under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. These "embellishments", however, soon spread to England, so that there is still no difference between the Elagin system and the Old English. Elagin strove to retain the three initial degrees - "student, comrade and master", and if he subsequently accepted four higher, knightly degrees, they did not play a big role, but were simply honorary. Elagin himself in § 12 of his "Conversations" refers negatively to the increase in the number of degrees:Olsufiev on the Freemasons under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. These "embellishments", however, soon spread to England, so that there is still no difference between the Elagin system and the Old English. Elagin strove to retain the three initial degrees - "student, comrade and master", and if he subsequently accepted four higher, knightly degrees, they did not play a big role, but were simply honorary. Elagin himself in § 12 of his "Conversations" refers negatively to the increase in the number of degrees:Olsufiev on the Freemasons under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. These "embellishments", however, soon spread to England, so that there is still no difference between the Elagin system and the Old English. Elagin strove to retain the three initial degrees - "student, comrade and master", and if he subsequently accepted four higher, knightly degrees, they did not play a big role, but were simply honorary. Elagin himself in § 12 of his "Conversations" refers negatively to the increase in the number of degrees:Elagin himself in § 12 of his "Conversations" refers negatively to the increase in the number of degrees:Elagin himself in § 12 of his "Conversations" refers negatively to the increase in the number of degrees:
"Do not trust new orders of the order, below vain ornaments."
The book "The Rite of Admission to the Master by Free Masons" contains the rules established by Elagin for preparing a newcomer for acceptance into the lodge. These rules, in connection with the "Charter, or the rule of free masons", as well as with Elagin's "Conversations", in general terms determine the individual points of his system from the side of content.
The first goal of the order according to Elagin:
"Preserving and giving to posterity some important sacrament from the most ancient centuries and even from the first person who came down to us, on which the sacrament may be the fate of the whole human race depends, as long as God delights in the good of mankind to open it to the whole world."
We find the preservation and transmission of this secret in ancient English Freemasonry, for example, in the Apologie pour l'ordre de F.-M. (1742). Soon this secret, which, according to the explanation of the old Masons, was "the secret of brotherly love, help and loyalty", began to be exploited in a variety of forms, "from a conspiracy in favor of the Stewarts to wild alchemy and ridiculous witchcraft." Undoubtedly, Elagin also understood this secret in a mystical spirit: he was looking for "the sweet and precious tree of life, which we have become deprived of with the loss of food."
If we turn to the sources from which he drew his inspiration for his ideas, we will see that they are all very mysterious, apparently, often of the same Rosicrucian origin.
According to the research of Academician A. N. Pypin, Elagin had a mentor in Masonic wisdom - a certain Eli, "excellent in knowledge of the Hebrew language and Kabbalah, in theosophy, in physics and chemistry deep". As Pypin writes, this Eli was a Rosicrucian; his book "is a very characteristic example of Rosicrucian, seemingly profound theological and alchemical nonsense." There is also news on the pages of the diary of a certain German Rosicrucian, found by Academician Pekarsky in Yelagin's papers, that Yelagin "wanted to learn how to make gold from Cagliostro."
From another source we know that Elagin was close to Cagliostro, and that his secretary gave Cagliostro a slap in the face, perhaps for deceiving about the creation of gold. This probably explains Yelagin's later hatred of the workers of the "dreamy gold". The second main point of the Elagin system, the most valuable for Russian society, is the need for self-knowledge and moral self-improvement and correction of the entire human race.
The Elagin system was alien to politics: this is stated in the papers of Elagin, to this N. I. Novikov pointed out P. - B. Reichel. Elagin failed to build a system that could be put forward in opposition to the "Voltairean views" against which Freemasonry fought. Serious ethical, religious, and partly social issues were beyond the power of the then scientific and critical thought.
Zinnendorf charter
In the early 1770s, the so-called "Swedish" or "Zinnendorf system", founded by the former headmaster of the Braungschweig court P.-B., who came to Russia from Berlin in 1771, became an alternative to the Elagin Masonic system of lodges. Reichel. In the years 1771-1776, Reichel founded several lodges:
- Lodge "Apollo" (1771, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Harpocrates" (1773, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Apollo" (1774, Riga),
- Lodge "Isis" (1774, Revel),
- Lodge "Horus" (1774, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Latona" (1774, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Nemesis" (1774, St. Petersburg),
- Lodge "Osiris" (1776, St. Petersburg - Moscow).
Elagin and the members of his lodges had a negative attitude to the new system and, as can be seen from the minutes of the Urania lodge, at first they did not allow persons who had not renounced Reichel. However, Elagin did not succeed in preserving the purity of his original system: as a result, he began to work, in addition to the previous three degrees of "John's Freemasonry," also in four Higher Knightly degrees. In 1775 he was admitted to the "Astrea" lodge of the Elagin system immediately into the third, master's degree of N. I. Novikov. At this time, Masonic meetings were already taking place in public, without arousing suspicion. We know about the nature of the then Freemasonry from the reviews of Novikov. He wrote that the lodges were engaged in the study of ethics and aspired to self-knowledge, in accordance with each degree. But this did not satisfy Novikov, although he held the highest degree. Novikov and some other Masons were looking for another system, deeper,which led to the unification, against the will of Elagin, the majority of the Elagin lodges with the Reichel ones. It happened in 1776, after negotiations between members of the Elagin and Reichel Masonic systems. The lodges united into a single system and began to call themselves "United". On September 3, 1776, they declared themselves subordinate to the Great Lodge of Berlin "Minerva".
In addition to the former Elagin system and the United system, there also existed, according to the Reichel system, the Rosenberg-Chaadaev lodge, as well as the Apollo (Riga) and Mars (Yassy) lodges. who did not want to enter the Elagin-Reichel union. Elagin's alliance with Reichel revived the St. Petersburg Freemasons for a time and connected them more closely with Moscow. However, peace in this united Masonic family did not last long. Reichel, dissatisfied with Yelagin, actually withdrew from participation in the order's work. The Masonic Union, headed by Yelagin, worked until 1784, when, allegedly at the own prompting of its provincial grandmaster (and in fact, presumably, on the unspoken order of Catherine II), and with the consent of the members of the lodges, their activities were temporarily suspended and resumed only in 1786 year, finally ending by 1793 in connection with the case of N. I. Novikov.
Published in 1775, the book "On Errors and Truth" by Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, who had a tremendous influence on the minds of Russian Freemasons of that time, caused a new movement among Freemasons and the desire to establish closer relations with foreign lodges. This created a split in Russian Freemasonry. On the advice of Reichel, many lodges joined, through the intermediary of Prince A. B. Kurakin and Prince G. P. Gagarin, to Swedish Masonry. Petersburg Lodge, where N. I. Novikov, and the Moscow box of the prince Η. Η. Trubetskoy remained loyal to Elagin. Thus, two systems began to exist in Russia: Reichel-Elagin and Swedish (Zinnendorf). In 1777, during his visit to St. Petersburg, the Swedish king Gustav III, who stood together with his brother Karl Südermanland at the head of the Swedish masons,attended the meetings of the Russian Freemasons of the Apollo Lodge and, according to rumors, initiated the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich into Freemasonry.
During the same time and subsequent years, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin acquired many followers and disciples during his travels in Europe. During his stay in Germany, he became friends with Rudolf Salzman, who became his assistant. Salzman introduced Saint-Martin to the alchemical Order des Ubekannte Philosophen, and presented him to the Russian Imperial Court in 1790. There Saint-Martin met many noble representatives of the royal family and acquired a large number of students. Among the Russian friends of Saint-Martin were Prince A. B. Kurakin, Prince A. M. Golitsyn and N. I. Novikov. Later, Novikov will include in the Russian branch of the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross, which he will head, the teachings of the Charter of the Knights-Masons of the Chosen Coens of the Universe, which Saint-Martin passed on to A. B. Kurakin.
In 1778, the Moscow lodge of the prince Η. Η. Trubetskoy joined the Swedish system. N. I. joined her. Novikov, and his Petersburg box was closed in 1779, and he himself moved to Moscow. This ended the domination of the Elagin system.
Novikov and Freemasonry in Moscow
A new stage in the development of Russian Freemasonry is associated with Moscow, where the center of its activity has shifted, and with the name of Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov, who unfolded wide Masonic activities in it after moving from St. Petersburg.
At that time, two prominent personalities played a major role in the history of Moscow Freemasonry - Novikov himself and Johann-Georg Schwartz. Both of them, especially Schwartz, contributed to the fact that Freemasonry received a certain structure. They also widely developed the educational side of Freemasonry. Schwartz assisted Novikov in all his enterprises, gave advice, pointed out books for translation, worked at the university and gymnasium, conceived a society for the dissemination of education in Russia, which officially arose in 1781 under the name of the "Friendly Scientific Society". In Moscow, except for the lodge of the prince Η. Η. Trubetskoy, there was also P. A. Tatishchev "Three Romans", which dragged out a miserable existence. In 1780, at the insistence of Novikov, a secret syentific lodge "Harmony" was opened, of 9 members - brothers of the internal order,hungry for true Freemasonry and did not sympathize with the partisanship. In 1781, at the suggestion of Schwartz, the leaders of the existing lodges, without changing their organization, united in a new lodge "Harmony". At the same time, it was decided to send Schwartz to Berlin to organize Masonic affairs, since Sweden caused general discontent. The result of the trip was as follows: Russian Freemasonry was recognized as independent from Sweden and received the organization of a "theoretical degree" by which the brothers could receive new knowledge, as well as the promise of assistance for the establishment of an independent "province" from Russia and an invitation to the Wilhelmsbad convention in July 1782. All this was sanctioned by the great master of the Scottish lodges in Germany, Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick. The system remained old, not loved by Novikov - Strict adherence. Schwartz was declared a kind of dictator, as “the only supreme primate of the theoretical degree of the Solomonic sciences in Russia,” with the right to transfer this degree to others, including Novikov, but with strict selection. In addition, Schwartz, who became friends with I. K. von Wöllner, brought from him the "Knowledge of Rosicrucianism" and the right to found the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross from among the elect.
On July 16, 1782, the Wilhelmsbad Convention convened under the chairmanship of Duke Ferdinand of Braunschweig. The congress was attended by representatives of the Masonic lodges of France, upper and lower Germany, Austria and Italy. Russia also had a representative office. At the convention, Russia, "in view of its vast space and the large number of lodges who zealously worked in it," was recognized as the eighth province of the order. " By the decision of the convention, Russian Freemasonry was organized as follows:
In the chapter:
- provincial great master - vacancy (in all probability, left for Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich);
- Prior - P. A. Tatishchev;
- Dean - Prince Yu. N. Trubetskoy;
- General Visitor - Prince N. N. Trubetskoy;
- Treasurer - N. I. Novikov;
- Chancellor - I.-G. Schwartz;
- General Procurator - Prince A. A. Cherkassky;
- members of the order.
In the Directory for current affairs:
- President - N. I. Novikov;
- members of the Directory - V. V. Chulkov, I. P. Turgenev, J. Schneider, F. P. Klyucharev and G. P. Krupennikov.
Two lodges were recognized as the highest maternal lodges. The masters in the theoretical degree of the Solomon Sciences were in the box of the "Crowned Banner" - PA Tatishchev, in the box "Latona" - Prince NN Trubetskoy. The Petersburg lodges did not enter into contact with Moscow and were noticeably outnumbered. In 1782, under the leadership of I. Schwartz, the Order of the Golden-Pink Cross was established, the members of which were NI Novikov, princes N. N. and Yu. N. Trubetskoy, A. M. Kutuzov, I. V. Lopukhin, I. P. Turgenev, M. D. Chulkov, M. M. Kheraskov. Serious Masonic work began, both in the common lodges and in the Order of the Golden-Rosy Cross, in which there were only the lowest degrees, the members were engaged in “knowing God through knowing nature and oneself in the footsteps of Christian morality.” In 1783, the lodge of "Osiris" was raised to the level of a mother lodge, with Prince NN Trubetskoy at the head;his place in "Latona" was taken by NI Novikov. Soon a fourth mother lodge appeared, the Sphinx, headed by G. P. Gagarin, who broke off relations with Sweden and joined Novikov and Schwartz. There were up to 20 of all lodges united around four maternal lodges in Moscow. Then, through A. A. Rzhevsky began negotiations with the lodges of St. Petersburg, which resulted in the establishment of a mother lodge in St. Petersburg; but this did not lead to unification, and the matter was limited only to formal relations.the result of which was the establishment of a mother lodge in St. Petersburg; but this did not lead to unification, and the matter was limited only to formal relations.the result of which was the establishment of a mother lodge in St. Petersburg; but this did not lead to unification, and the matter was limited only to formal relations.
In 1783, at the personal petitions of the Moscow Masons, they were admitted to the main Rosicrucian brotherhood. At the same time, they stopped - following the example of the Berlin Lodge "Three Globes", where the head was I. K. von Wöllner, - ties with the Duke of Braunschweig. The Moscow brothers ceased to be interested in the ritual side and turned to theoretical questions. 1783 is the year of the flourishing of the Masonic and social work of Moscow Freemasonry, which united around Moscow University. This year, under the Friendly Scientific Society, created by Schwartz in 1779, printing houses arose: two vowels and one "secret", intended for the publication of special Rosicrucian literature.
In 1784 died "a living example and a leader on the path of moral improvement" - I.-G. Schwartz. With the death of the latter, the leader of the Russian Rosicrucians died. I. Kh. A. Theden, the leader of the Berlin Rosicrucian Freemasonry, advised to establish instead of one director a directory from Tatishchev, Novikov and N. N. Trubetskoy, and then elect two overseers, one for the Russians, the other for foreigners. In 1784 the directory was established and two overseers were elected: Lopukhin and, at the insistence of Theden, a former member of the Berlin Three Globes Lodge Baron G. Ya. Schroeder, sent by Wöllner from Prussia to lead the directory, and took over from Schwarz. Already from 1783, the heads of the Freemasons did little to do with general Freemasonry and devoted themselves entirely to Rosicrucianism. Through Schroeder, Moscow Masons received hieroglyphic signs from Berlin,an allegorical alphabet, according to which they practiced in finding the sacraments of the highest degrees, the form of the oath, the "mystical table", etc.
In total, there were 19 lodges under the control of Moscow in the period from 1782 to 1786. Most of all - thirteen - there were in Moscow, one each - in Orel, Mogilev, Kremenchug, Kazan, Vologda and Kharkov. In 1784, a Printing Company spun off from the Fellowship, exclusively for printing books, of 14 members, including 12 Freemasons. The inspiration behind this company was N. I. Novikov. The Fellowship and the Printing Company have produced many books, some general content, some specifically Masonic. In the same year, at the request of the commission of public schools in St. Petersburg, some textbooks were destroyed and the publication of the "History of the Order of the Jesuits" was prohibited. In 1785, Karamzin and some other remarkable personalities joined Freemasonry.
The strengthening of Prussian, as well as earlier Swedish, influence in Russian Freemasonry aroused strong concern of the Empress, who treated him with distrust. Catherine II ordered a search in Novikov's bookstore and instructed Metropolitan Platon of Moscow and Kaluga to test Novikov in the Law of God and examine the books he published. The metropolitan recognized Novikov as true to the rules of the church, but four hundred and sixty-one works were withdrawn.
In 1786, the printing houses of Novikov were almost completely prohibited from publishing and selling books "related to holiness", and school and hospital business was almost taken away from the Freemasons. Of the four hundred and sixty-one suspicious works, six are specialized Masonic - "Apology, or Defense, V. K." (free masons) were destroyed, and sixteen were forbidden to be reprinted or sold; the Freemasons were given a strict suggestion regarding the publication of books. The books of Freemasons were recognized, contrary to the opinion of Metropolitan Plato, more harmful than the books of the French encyclopedists in general, and the Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert in particular. NI Novikov, however, continued to publish books of Freemasons. Meanwhile, King Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia, a zealous Freemason and enemy of Russia, made Wöllner his advisor; hence,Russian Freemasons were subordinate to the advisor of a hostile power.
By 1787, it turned out that Schroeder was poorly prepared for his role, and having quarreled with other leaders of Moscow Freemasonry, he was recalled to Berlin and left Russia forever. On business of the order, A. M. Kutuzov, who was considered by the Moscow Rosicrucians as the successor and assistant to the acting at that time the duties of the local master of the Provincial Lodge, Prince N. N. Trubetskoy. At the headquarters of the order in Berlin, Kutuzov had to learn to "make gold and look for the philosopher's stone."
In the same year, the philanthropic activity of the Freemasons, who helped the people who were starving as a result of a poor harvest, were especially clearly manifested. The beginning of attempts at rapprochement between the Freemasons of Moscow and the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich dates back to 1787. In the same year, it was forbidden to print spiritual books other than in spiritual printing houses, which tied the hands of the companionable printing house. The Rosicrucians, having indulged in the work of the fourth, highest, degree of the "Theoretical Degree", cared little about maintaining the general Masonic lodges, as a result of which, by 1789, two mother lodges, Tatishchevskaya and Gagarin, as well as meetings of the John's lodges of three lower degrees and some lodges in the provinces were closed. Thus, Freemasonry was increasingly concentrated in Rosicrucianism. With the arrival in Moscow of the commander-in-chief, Prince Prozorovsky, the activities of the Freemasons began to be completely suppressed, and they themselves were under strict supervision.
Catherine II's prohibition to extend Novikov's lease of the printing house at Moscow University, the contract for which expired in 1789, dealt a severe blow to the Printing Company. From that moment on, its financial position in the conditions of Novikov's publishing policy, which did not bring profit, began to deteriorate catastrophically, and in November 1791 the Printing Company was forced to cease to exist.
In 1792, the authorities sealed Novikov's books, of which twenty titles were sold despite the prohibition, and eighteen were published without permission at all. At the same time, Novikov himself was arrested. His imprisonment in Shlisselburg continued until the death of Catherine II in 1796. The reason for the grave sentence of 15 years imprisonment in the Shlisselburg fortress, which befell Novikov, is still unclear: she is seen in attempts to involve the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich in the activities of the Rosicrucians, which was extremely hostile to the empress. This is all the more likely that the verdict against the rest of the arrested Freemasons, otherwise called Martinists, was rather lenient: Prince Trubetskoy and Turgenev were exiled to their distant villages, with a ban on leaving, and Lopukhin was allowed to stay in Moscow altogether. The other Rosicrucians were only “disturbed”. The students Nevzorov and Kolokolnikov, who lived abroad at the expense of Freemasons, were threatened with exile to Siberia, but due to illness they ended up in a hospital, where Kolokolnikov died, and Nevzorov was placed in an insane asylum. Booksellers who had banned books on sale were pardoned. With the arrest of Novikov, the activities of the Moscow Rosicrucians actually ceased.
In general, Empress Catherine II took the usual actions for any power to eliminate ideological competition and strengthen the revolutionary spirit of society (in her words - "debauchery"). At the same time, she has repeatedly expressed her opinion that, in her opinion, “false pathos” and “deliberate spirituality” were declared by the Freemasons and Martinists. Moreover, first of all, this was related to Novikov, which obviously determined the measure of his punishment.
During the reign of Emperor Paul I, Freemasons partially recovered from the blow inflicted on them by Empress Catherine II, which, however, does not indicate the emperor's sympathy for them, but was done demonstratively, in defiance of the reign of his mother. Paul I ordered the release of N. I. Novikov from imprisonment, removed supervision from Lopukhin, allowed Tatishchev and Trubetskoy to live freely everywhere, ordered the release of Nevzorov and send him to Lopukhin in Moscow, awarded many Freemasons, briefly brought Novikov and Lopukhin closer to him, but renewed the order of free masons did not permit. It was only during the reign of Emperor Alexander I that a certain revival of Freemasonry began, at the head of which were first Lopukhin with Kovalkov and Nevzorov, and then Α. F. Labzin.
In the 19th century
Great Lodge of Astrea
By a letter dated September 30, 1815, all the Grand Lodges of Europe were notified of the formation of the “Grand Lodge of Astrea” in the East of St. Petersburg. It was formed following the example of the Grand Lodge of England, and four lodges also acted as its founders: "Peter to Order" and "Palestine" (both - St. Petersburg), "Isis" (Revel) and "Neptune to Hope" (Kronstadt). Count V. V. Musin-Pushkin became the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Astrea.
In 1817 a second letter, the Code of Laws, was sent to the European grand lodges. The purpose of the union of the lodges that were part of the Grand Lodge "Astrea" was formulated in the constituent documents as follows:
“Improving the well-being of people by correcting morality, spreading virtue, piety and unshakable loyalty to the sovereign and fatherland and strict observance of the laws existing in the state … This new Grand Lodge took a representative form of government and swept away all the highest degrees, so that only its representatives four John's lodges."
For her works, "Astrea" chose the Swedish system, making it a rule when each of the lodges had the right to choose any of the Masonic systems existing at that time in Europe. In order to more effectively attract the brothers-Masons from other lodges to their side, "Astrea" guaranteed them the right to freely elect their officials and freely dispose of their finances. All extortions from workshops that were practiced before were canceled, with the exception of fees for charitable needs. The system that the ideologist of the creation of this union, E. E. Ellisen, there was the so-called Schroeder system, named after the famous reformer of Freemasonry - F.-L. Schroeder, an actor and writer who violently rebelled against mysticism and higher degrees.
The organizational structure, order and nature of the work of the new union were regulated in detail in the "Code of the Grand Lodge of Astrea". The first 16 points were adopted by the brothers on August 13, 1815. Work on the Code continued after its adoption. On August 20 of the same year, 156 more paragraphs were added to the document. On January 20, 1816, the number of paragraphs increased to 389. As a result, the number of paragraphs of the Code was 561. It is characteristic that the Code of the Great Lodge of Astrea was designed for only 6 years. This meant that the brothers had no intention of stopping their legislative reform activities. E. A. Kushelev wrote in this regard:
“Then they composed it under the title“Addition to the Book of Laws,”adding various additions to the latter. What was approved by signing: the first addition - October 14, 1816, the second addition - April 14, the third - April 21, 1817 and, finally, the fourth - March 24, 1818.
Thus, the leaders of "Astrea" demonstrated to the brothers their commitment to the course of reforms in the Masonic community led by them.
The ongoing reforms led to the falling away from the Grand Provincial Lodge and the transition to the union of the Grand Lodge "Astrea" lodges "Flaming Star" and "United Friends". The latter was especially influential among them, among whose members in 1816 were the names of the guards officers Griboyedov, Chaadaev, Norov, Benkendorf, Pestel and a number of others.
Termination of the activities of the Grand Lodge of Astrea
August 1, 1822 was followed by the highest rescript of Alexander I addressed to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Count V. P. Kochubei, "On the destruction of Masonic lodges and all secret societies": "All secret societies under whatever names they exist, such as: Masonic lodges or others - to close them and their institutions will not be allowed in the future”.
The Union of the Grand Lodge "Astrea" had 1404 brothers in its ranks at the time of closure, who were united in 19 lodges. The rival of the Astrea lodge, the Great Provincial Lodge, consisted of only 7 lodges and 230 brothers.
On August 11, 1822, V. V. Musin-Pushkin informed the St. Petersburg military governor-general that the Great Lodge "Astrea" and eight Masonic lodges dependent on it in St. Petersburg were now closed.
Such a serious disapproval of the activities of the Freemasons by the central government led to a radical loss by the Masonic lodges of their positions among the service aristocracy. The romantically naive fascination with mysterious and obscure rituals moved from the plane of cultural preferences to the category of relations between a person and the state. Perhaps the significance of the Masonic secret oaths was taken more seriously than they deserved. But after the decree of 1822, they naturally began to be associated with vows foreign to loyalty to the throne and Orthodoxy. The issue of non-involvement in Masonic secrets and Masonic oaths openly became the subject of an affirmation of loyalty to state sovereignty.
In the 19th century, Masons secretly operated for a long time, especially in the provinces, where they brought some benefit (if we talk about the cultural aspect of their activities), promoting education and ennobling morals, but legally and openly were able to resume their activities only at the beginning of the 20th century with permission Emperor Nicholas II.
In 1800-1861, 5590 people were members of Masonic lodges in Russia.
At the beginning of the twentieth century
The first lodges in Russia, after their ban in 1822, began to appear again at the beginning of the 20th century, under Emperor Nicholas II in 1905 under the auspices of the Great East of France. They are very widespread in the country at that historical period. At this time, the lodges of the Grand East of France belong to the so-called liberal Freemasonry. In 1910, lodges began to be established from the lodges of the Great East of France (WWF), which soon formed the basis of a new organization called the Great East of the peoples of Russia.
The Great East of the Peoples of Russia (VVNR) was created at the founding congress in Moscow in the summer of 1912. A characteristic difference between the WWHP lodges and the WWF lodges was the abolition of a number of mandatory points in the work of Masonic lodges. These points were: the abolition of the apprentice degree, simplification of rituals, writing political programs instead of architectural work, discussing political issues at meetings, working not for the sake of Progress, but political activity in the State Duma. The WWFR lodges, which were called "Masonic", were not recognized as such by brothers from the WWF and other Masonic lodges, but were considered political clubs. This led in the future some of the former members of the VVNR, when after the October Revolution of 1917 they left Russia, to re-pass the ritual of Masonic initiation.
The governing structure of the WWHP organization was the Supreme Council, which was headed by the Secretary General. N. V. Nekrasov was the first secretary of the Supreme Council of the VVNR, after from 1913 to 1914 A. M. Kerensky. After A. F. Kerensky became the head of the Russian government in July 1917, the post of head of the VVNR passed to the manager of the Provisional Government, Menshevik A. Ya. Galpern.
VVNR united several dozen lodges, approximately 10-15 people each. The lodges were created on a territorial basis. In VVNR there were several special lodges - "Military", "Literaturnaya", and "Duma lodge" Rose ". The total number of members of the VNR lodges was within a few hundred people. VVNR stopped working after the 1917 revolution.
At the end of the twentieth century
Georgy Dergachev - The First Great Master (1995-2002) of the Grand Lodge of Russia (VLR).
The first works of the lodge "Harmony" No. 698 of the Grand National Lodge of France (VNLF) took place in Moscow on September 7, 1992.
In 1990, with the consecration of Georgy Dergachev, the first Freemason in modern history, the revival of Freemasonry in Russia began. On April 28, 1991, in Moscow, under the auspices of the Grand East of France, the first Masonic lodge was opened. In total, from 1991 to 1997, 6 lodges of the Great East of France were opened: "North Star", "Free Russia", "Nine Muses", "Northern Brothers", "Polar Star" and "Moscow". From 1991 to 1993, the Grand Lodge of France also opens its lodges. She opened 3 boxes: "Nikolay Novikov", "Sphinx" and "Lutetia".
After the transfer to the Grand National Lodge of France, Georgy Dergachev and part of the Freemasons of the North Star lodge, in 1992 the Grand National Lodge of France began to open its lodges. In 1992-1993 she opened 4 lodges: "Harmony", "Lotus", "New Astrea", "Gamayun".
After the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Russia in 1995, the outflow of Freemasons from the lodges of the Grand East of France and the Grand Lodge of France intensifies, which leads to the closure of almost all of their lodges in Russia.
On July 6, 1996, ten Russian Freemasons of the Grand Lodge of Russia, dedicated by M. V. Garder to the highest, 33 degree of the Ancient and accepted Scottish charter, established the Supreme Council of Russia of the Ancient and adopted Scottish charter. In the future, all the organizational structures necessary for the full work of the Supreme Council were established.
In 1996, by decree of the great master of the Great East of France, all lodges of the Great East of France on the territory of Russia were closed. The Polar Star Lodge of the Grand East of France in its entirety moved to the Grand Lodge of Russia. Until 1998, the lodges of the Grand Lodge of France "Lutetia" and "Sphinx" were also closed. The Nikolay Novikov Lodge continued its work under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of France.
In 1997, the Great East of France allowed the opening of a new lodge in Russia, it was the Moscow Lodge. In 1998, permission was given from the Grand East of France to reopen the North Star Lodge.
From 1995 to 1999, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened 7 new lodges: "Aurora" No. 5 (Moscow, 1996), "Polar Star" No. 6 (Arkhangelsk, transferred in full force from the Grand East of France in 1997), " Jupiter "No. 7 (Moscow, 1997)," Four Crowned "No. 8 (Moscow, 1998)," Northern Lights "No. 9 (Moscow, 1998)," Brotherly Love "No. 10 (Moscow, 1998 g.), "Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin" No. 11 (Moscow, 1999).
At the end of 1999, Russia had 12 lodges of the Grand Lodge of Russia, 2 lodges of the Grand East of France and 1 lodge of the Grand Lodge of France.
In the XXI century
Since 2000, the Grand Lodge of Russia has actively continued to open new lodges in various cities of Russia and beyond. In total, 42 lodges were opened in the period until 2015.
In 2000, in Vladivostok, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened the Pacific Coast Lodge No. 12.
In 2001, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened lodges: Fyodor Volkov No. 14 (Yaroslavl), Orion No. 15 (Moscow), Phoenix No. 16 (Moscow), Isis and Osiris No. 17 and Ser No. 18 (Moscow).
In March 2001, about 100 people left the Grand Lodge of Russia. As stated by those who came out, the reason for the exit was "the disagreement of the brothers with the internal policy pursued by the then leadership of the Grand Lodge of Russia." From the three-volume History of Russian Freemasonry in the XX century, by the historian of Freemasonry A. I. Serkov, it follows that during the schism, members of the following lodges left: Harmony, Lotus, Astrea, Jupiter, Orion.
On April 16, 2001, those who came out held their first assembly, after which the appearance of the Russian Regular Grand Lodge (RRVL) was announced. According to the materials of the dictionary "Freemasons", the historian of Freemasonry S. P. Karpachev, RRWL began to seek recognition of the United Grand Lodge of England and regular grand lodges, and sought it until June 2007. RRWL has not been recognized by any great lodge in the world.
In 2002, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened lodges: "Northern Brothers" No. 19 (Murmansk), "Valor" No. 20 (Moscow), "Constellation" No. 21 (Moscow), "Under Three Crowns" No. 22 (Kaliningrad) and " Alpha and Omega "No. 23 (Novosibirsk).
In 2003, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Moscow opened the Lodge "Friendship" No. 24.
In 2004, the White Knight Lodge No. 25 was opened by the Grand Lodge of Russia in Moscow.
In 2005, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Moscow opened the traveling lodge “Hiram's Triangle” No. 26, which was established as an international one.
In 2006, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Moscow opened the Citadel Lodge No. 27.
In 2006, the North Star lodge, due to its small number, stopped its work, and the remaining members of the lodge moved to the Moscow lodge in the Great East of France.
In 2006, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Voronezh opened the Holy Grail Lodge No. 28, which began to carry out its work on the Zinnendorf ritual.
After in May-June 2007, RRWL members tried to move to the Grand Lodge of Russia and take part in the election of a new great master, a split occurred in the Grand Lodge of Russia. Foreign observers from the great lodges, recognizing the Grand Lodge of Russia, were not allowed to participate in the assembly of the members of the RRWL, who tried to take part in the voting in the elections of the great master of the Grand Lodge of Russia. According to the voting results, A. V. Bogdanov, which was confirmed by observers. The election of Bogdanov as a new great master resulted in the departure of 30 members of the lodges "Harmony", "Lotos", "Phoenix" and "A. S. Pushkin "from the Grand Lodge of Russia and association with the members of the RRVL. The new association decided to use the name Grand Lodge of Russia, only adding to it the clarification "led by the great master A. S."
Since the new union was denied recognition by all the regular grand lodges, in June 2008, some members of the union decided to establish relations with the Grand Lodge of France.
The history of the final design and appearance of the United Grand Lodge of Russia (OVLR) in its current capacity is described by the historian of Freemasonry A. I. Serkov as follows: On October 11, 2008, at its solemn assembly, under the patronage of the Grand Lodge of France, the United Grand Lodge of Russia was established. The United Grand Lodge of Russia was granted a patent by the Grand Lodge of France for the right to carry out work on the DPShU. They entered the United Grand Lodge of Russia with the establishment of 11 lodges.
In 2008, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Sochi opened the Akatsia Lodge No. 29, and in Magnitogorsk the Forpost Lodge No. 30.
In 2009, the Grand Lodge of Russia in Yekaterinburg opened the lodge "Stone Belt" No. 31, and in Moscow the lodge "France" No. 32, which began to carry out its work on the French Rite.
In January 2009, two Kharkiv lodges - "Geometry" and "Phoenix of Ukraine", joined the OVLR.
In 2010, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened two more lodges, which began to carry out their work according to the French rite: the lodge "Muses" No. 33 (St. Petersburg) and the Francophone lodge "Perfect Consent" No. 34 (Moscow).
In 2011, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened lodges: "Delta" No. 35 (Krasnodar), "Fedor Ushakov" No. 36 (Saransk), "Clio" No. 37 (Moscow).
In 2012, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened the lodge “Two Eagles” No. 38 (Minsk).
In the summer of 2012, some of the members of the Astrea Lodge decided to leave the OVLR. On June 8, 2013 in St. Petersburg, an installation of the Astrea lodge took place in the association of the Grand Orient of France. The Lodge was assigned No. 6032 and a WWF patent was issued for the right to work in this association. The remaining 5 members of the Astraea lodge of the CFRD, although they expressed their desire to keep the box with the same name, could not do it, according to the General Regulations of the CFRD.
In 2013, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened lodges: "St. David the Builder" No. 39 (Tbilisi), "Leon the Great" No. 40 (Sukhumi), "St. Tamara" No. 41 (Tbilisi), "Araragat" No. 42 (Moscow, Ritual Emulation), "Pavel Pavlovich Demidov" No. 43 (Yekaterinburg) and "Golden Key" No. 44 (Perm).
In September 2013, the New World Mixed Lodge No. 1989 was established in Moscow by the Masonic International Mixed Order "Human Right".
In 2014, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened boxes: "Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov" No. 45 (St. Petersburg), "Skull and Cross" No. 46 (Nizhny Novgorod) and "Bratskaya Chain" No. 47 (Chelyabinsk).
In 2015, the Grand Lodge of Russia opened the boxes: "George V the Brilliant" No. 48 (Tbilisi), "Giuseppe Garibaldi" No. 49 (Moscow, Eastern Rite), "Shipka" No. 50 (Moscow) and "Alikhan Bokeikhanov" No. 51 (Alma-Ata).
For various reasons, work was suspended in the following boxes of the Grand Lodge of Russia: "Pacific Coast" No. 12, "Fyodor Volkov" No. 14, "Isis and Osiris" No. 17, "Northern Brothers" No. 19, "Valor" No. 20, "Constellation "No. 21," Under the Three Crowns "No. 22," Hiram's Triangle "No. 26," Holy Grail "No. 28.
From the Great Lodge of Russia, the lodges moved away to other great lodges during their creation: "Ser" No. 18 (to the Grand Lodge of Armenia), "Friendship" No. 24 (to the Great National Lodge of Azerbaijan), "Saint David the Builder" No. 39, " Saint Tamara”No. 41,“George V the Brilliant”No. 48 (to the Grand Lodge of Georgia),“Alikhan Bokeikhanov”No. 51,“Light of the East”No. 52 and“United Nomadic Brothers”No. 55 (to the Grand Lodge of Kazakhstan).
Masonic organizations in modern Russia
As of 2019, the following Masonic organizations are represented in Russia:
- The Grand Lodge of Russia - about 1000 members in 36 lodges;
- Supreme Council of Russia Ancient and accepted Scottish charter - about 200 members (associated with the Grand Lodge of Russia);
- Sovereign Russian sanctuary of the Ancient and original charter of Memphis-Misraim - about 50 members (connected with the Grand Lodge of Russia);
- The General Grand Chapter of the French Rite - about 50 members (associated with the Grand Lodge of Russia);
- Chapter of the royal arch “St. Cecilia”№ 6190 - about 40 members (connected with the Grand Lodge of Russia);
- United Grand Lodge of Russia - about 200 members in 7 lodges;
- Great East of France - about 30 members in 2 lodges;
- Grand Lodge of France - about 20 members in 1 lodge;
- The Grand Lodge of France - about 25 sisters in 1 box;
- Le Droit Humain - about 9 members in 1 lodge.