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Freemasonry in Belgium comprises several Masonic 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.
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.
The Grand Orient of Belgium (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 and other Continental jurisdictions in not requiring initiates to believe in a Supreme Being.
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.
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.
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. [1]
The Belgian Federation of Le Droit Humain (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. [2]
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 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.
Various iterations of the Scottish Rite 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.
In Freemasonry, regularity is one of the factors by which individual Grand Lodges judge whether to recognise one another for the purposes of allowing formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level and visitation by members of other jurisdictions. Each individual Grand Lodge determines which other Grand Lodges it considers Regular.
Co-Freemasonry is a form of Freemasonry which admits both men and women. It began in France in the 1890s with the forming of Le Droit Humain, and is now an international movement represented by several Co-Freemasonic administrations throughout the world. Most male-only Masonic Lodges do not recognise Co-Freemasonry, holding it to be irregular.
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.
This is a general survey on the historical and modern presence of Freemasonry in countries located in Asia.
Liberté chérie was a Masonic Lodge founded in 1943 by Belgian Resistance fighters and other political prisoners at Esterwegen concentration camp. It was one of the few lodges of Freemasons founded within a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.
Freemasonry has had a complex relationship with women, which can be readily divided into many phases with no demonstrable relationship to each other until the 20th century. A few women were involved in Freemasonry before the 18th century; however the first printed constitutions of the Premier Grand Lodge of England appeared to bar them from the Craft forever.
The Grand Orient of Belgium is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.
The International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers (ISMAP) was an international organization of Masonic jurisdictions of masonic lodges. The jurisdictions involved are considered irregular by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and most other Anglo-Saxon Grand Lodges, because they accept women, or do not require Masons to have a belief in a Supreme Being. Its members merged back into CLIPSAS in the early 2010s.
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 CLIPSAS, SIMPA, TRACIA, CIMAS, COMAM, CATENA, GLUA, or any of various other international organizations of Liberal, i.e., Continental Freemasonry. The larger number of Freemasons, most of whom live in the United States–where Regular Freemasonry holds a virtual monopoly–belong to Masonic lodges that recognize the United Grand Lodge of England and do not recognize Continental Freemasons, regarding them as "irregular".
Freemasonry in France has been influential on the worldwide Masonic movement due to its founding of Continental Freemasonry.
The Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland is one of the Grand Lodges of Freemasons in Switzerland.
Continental Freemasonry in North America is relatively rare, but there are a few continental-style organizations active.
The history of Freemasonry in Belgium reflects the many influences on what is now Belgium from the neighbouring states.
The Women's Grand Lodge Of France is the Grand Lodge of France's women-only Masonic lodges.
The first known Freemasons in Portugal were the Swiss John Coustos and two other Portuguese members of his lodge, who were arrested by the Portuguese Inquisition and questioned under torture in the 1740s. Coustos wrote a book detailing his sufferings under the Inquisition and pointed to 1728 as being the year of the first Lodge, although nothing is known of the first years of this Lodge and it was not then recognised by the Grand Lodge of England. Today there are several Masonic Obediences in Portugal.
The Centre of Liaison and Information of Masonic Powers Signatories of Strasbourg Appeal or CLIPSAS is an international group of Masonic Grand Orients and Grand Lodges that adhere to Continental Freemasonry and signed the Strasbourg Appeal. Members include the Grand Orient de France, the Grand Orient of Belgium and the Grand Lodge of Italy, of which the first two left the group between 2000-2010.
Freemasonry in Germany started in several places during the second quarter of the Eighteenth century. After the extinction of the Rite of Strict Observance, which had a wide following and claimed Templar origins for its higher degrees, the several Grand Lodges in Germany defied all attempts at unification, although a largely ineffectual central organisation came into being with the unification of Germany. During the 1920s Freemasons were harassed alongside Jews by those taken in by the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and blamed for the German surrender of 1918. This culminated with the suppression of Freemasonry by the Nazis in 1935, with many Masons in Germany and occupied countries being executed or sent to concentration camps. Freemasonry returned to Germany after World War Two. A single central body now represents five "regular" Grand Lodges. Liberal, women's, and mixed lodges also exist.
The Symbolic Grand Lodge of Spain is one of the main grand obediences in Spain. It is one of group of obediences included in CLIPSAS, and can be defined as a mixed or egalitarian, liberal and non-dogmatic Grand Lodge.
