Intermediate division of the Swedish Rite / Sweden
St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden
St Andrew’s Lodges confer degrees IV–VI within the Swedish Rite. A brother reaches them by progression from the St John’s degrees inside the same Order; he does not join a separate Scottish Rite, Mark body or Royal Arch Chapter despite comparisons sometimes used to orient foreign readers.
This guide separates the ritual family called St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden from the authority that administers it. That distinction matters when similar names describe different structures elsewhere. By Beyond the Craft Editorial Team · Published 14 June 2026 · Last reviewed 21 June 2026 · 8 min read.
What it is
The proper constitutional category of St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden matters. Readers should distinguish its ceremonial subject, its membership qualification and the present organisation that governs it.
Why people explore it
Swedish Master Masons drawn to a gradual continuation, purpose-built degree settings and the sustained study expected within an integrated rite.
What not to assume
St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden is not a rank above Craft Masonry and is not automatically equivalent to a similarly named system in another jurisdiction.
Documented chronology
Carl Friedrich Eckleff and six brethren formed the Scottish Lodge L’Innocente in Stockholm to work St Andrew’s degrees. [2]
The Grand Lodge of Sweden was established amid Eckleff's developing Christian system. [2]
Duke Carl's second major revision completed the essential progressive Swedish Rite framework. [1] [2]
A continuation, not a second membership
Degrees IV–V are grouped as Apprentice-Companion of St Andrew and degree VI as Master of St Andrew. The Order places them after Master Mason and before the Chapter degrees in one continuous system. [1] [3]
A brother therefore advances into an appropriate St Andrew’s Lodge under the same sovereign Order. Describing this as an optional side order would misstate both governance and the intended sequence. [1] [2]
Why Mark and Royal Arch comparisons need care
The official English page says this division follows St John’s in a position comparable to Mark and Royal Arch elsewhere. It immediately adds that St Andrew’s has its own rituals and purpose-built rooms. [1]
The comparison is navigational, not genealogical. A Swedish degree IV is not a Mark Master Mason degree, degree VI is not the English Royal Arch, and membership does not transfer those titles or rights into another jurisdiction. [1]
Historical roots without a Scottish Rite label
The Order dates Eckleff's Lodge L’Innocente to 1756 and calls its work Scottish St Andrew’s degrees. Eighteenth-century 'Scottish' terminology here predates and should not be collapsed into the later Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. [2] [3]
Duke Carl subsequently revised the wider system, with the 1800 revision completing the ten-degree structure. The current division belongs to that Swedish development rather than to a foreign Supreme Council. [1] [2]
Time, meetings and fit
The Order suggests that a brother may reach degree VI about four to six years after beginning in degree I. That is cumulative time, not four to six additional years guaranteed after becoming a Master Mason, and advancement remains dependent on participation and knowledge. [1] [2]
Meetings continue the Order's pattern of formal receptions, symbolic teaching and fellowship meals. This division may appeal to a member who values slow, connected development; it is not a quick substitute for joining Mark or Royal Arch in another constitution. [1] [4]
Key distinction
The official comparison with Mark and Royal Arch describes where this division sits in a progression, not ritual identity or shared governance with those orders.
Key questions
Frequently asked questions
What most distinguishes St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden?
The official comparison with Mark and Royal Arch describes where this division sits in a progression, not ritual identity or shared governance with those orders.
Who may join St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden?
Advancement is for members of the Swedish Order who have completed the required St John's work and demonstrated attendance and understanding. It is not a public side order that an unaffiliated Master Mason can simply petition as an independent route. Confirm which authority administers the rite locally and which parts of the published system are actually available there.
How should its history be understood?
Carl Friedrich Eckleff and six brethren formed the Scottish Lodge L’Innocente in Stockholm to work St Andrew’s degrees. Dates for the ritual family and dates for its present governing organisation are related evidence, but they are not interchangeable.
What should I compare with St Andrew's Degrees in Sweden?
Start with St John’s degrees and Chapter degrees. Compare administration, degree structure and local availability; a shared ritual name does not prove shared governance.
- The Swedish Rite ↗Swedish Order of Freemasons · Official organisational source · Retrieved 21 June 2026 · Supports: degrees IV–VI, ritual position, progression time, separate Lodge rooms.
- Swedish Order: who we are ↗Swedish Order of Freemasons · Official organisational source · Retrieved 21 June 2026 · Supports: 1756 L’Innocente, Eckleff, system history, present Lodge structure.
- Swedish Order: what are higher degrees? ↗Swedish Order of Freemasons · Official organisational source · Retrieved 21 June 2026 · Supports: integrated higher-degree principle, Master Mason prerequisite, historical context.
- Swedish Order: what happens in Lodge ↗Swedish Order of Freemasons · Official organisational source · Retrieved 21 June 2026 · Supports: meeting character, degrees IV–VI, receptions and dining.
Continue exploring
Related Reading
Sweden's sovereign regular Masonic body, governing one continuous Christian system from the first Craft degree through the Swedish Rite's higher divisions.
Sweden guideSt John's Degrees in SwedenDegrees I-III of the Swedish Rite: Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, worked in St John's Lodges under the Swedish Order of Freemasons.
Sweden guideChapter Degrees of the Swedish RiteDegrees VII-X of the Swedish Rite, worked in Chapters as the mature Christian and chivalric division of the Swedish Order's continuous system.