Recognised Craft Grand Lodge
Grand Lodge of Russia
Founded on 24 June 1995 by four Lodges originally established under the Grande Loge Nationale Française, it is the Russian Grand Lodge currently listed by UGLE.
Visit the official site ↗Country guide / Russia
Old currents.
A modern return.
Russian Freemasonry has an eighteenth-century past, a long history of interruption and exile, and a modern regular structure restored after the Soviet period.
01 / Begin with authority
Recognition
before resemblance.
In Russia, begin by identifying the body that warrants the Lodge. A familiar ritual name or emblem cannot establish recognition, visitation rights or a valid route into further degrees.
The practical reference point
UGLE's current foreign Grand Lodge list identifies the Grand Lodge of Russia. Members of other constitutions should still ask their own Grand Secretary before visiting.
02 / Connection map
How Russia's recognised Craft routes connect
Begin with the governing Grand Lodge, then distinguish the ritual worked in a Craft Lodge from separately governed degrees beyond Master Mason.
Foundation or authorityOrder, route or jurisdictionRelated or specialist body
Educational overview only. Recognition, eligibility and progression vary by jurisdiction. Always confirm current requirements with the relevant official body.
Visual orientation
Restored Craft,
Restored Craft,
wider influences.
Modern Russian Freemasonry sits within a longer history of interruption, restoration and imported ritual influences. The chart helps separate current authority from historical background.
03 / The modern structure
Craft first.
Rites second.
The Grand Lodge governs Craft Lodges. Ritual workings shape how those Lodges confer the three degrees; separately governed bodies may administer degrees beyond them.
04 / Ritual traditions
Several languages
of one foundation.
Public Grand Lodge material associates Russian Lodges with several ritual systems. These are best understood as ceremonial frameworks, not a ranking of Lodges.
Scottish-derived working
A Scottish-named Craft working may be used for the three symbolic degrees. It must not be confused with a Supreme Council's later numbered degrees.
Compare the Craft workings →French Rite
French influence is especially relevant to the modern restoration because the founding Lodges were established through GLNF.
Read the French Rite guide →Emulation working
Emulation provides an internationally familiar English-derived style while remaining under Russian Craft governance.
Read the Emulation guide →05 / What to verify
Four checks.
Before contact.
Warrant
Which Grand Lodge or further-degree authority warrants the local unit?
Recognition
Does your own governing body recognise that authority for visitation or membership purposes?
Language
Which language is used for ritual, business, instruction and correspondence?
Practical access
Are local meetings active, reachable and open to enquiries through an official route?
06 / Historical context
Expansion.
Prohibition. Return.
Freemasonry appeared in imperial Russia during the eighteenth century and attracted aristocrats, officers, intellectuals and philanthropists. Alexander I prohibited Masonic Lodges and other secret societies in 1822. Russian-language Masonic life later continued partly through émigré communities before regular Craft Masonry returned to Russia in the early 1990s.
Explore the Grand Lodge's public material ↗European ideas in Russia
English, German, Swedish and French currents all contributed to the varied Russian Masonic environment.
Imperial prohibition
The prohibition under Alexander I interrupted organised Lodge life and reshaped later Russian Masonic history.
Modern restoration
Four GLNF-founded Lodges became the foundation of the Grand Lodge of Russia in 1995.
07 / Before you enquire
Approach with
care.
- 01Use an official website
Begin with the Grand Lodge or governing body's published contact route rather than a social profile or directory.
- 02Confirm current recognition
Recognition can change. Overseas Masons should consult their own governing office before making Masonic contact.
- 03Ask about language and travel
Meeting language, geography and calendar may determine whether a route is realistic.
- 04Separate history from authority
A historical claim or shared ritual lineage does not by itself prove present jurisdiction or recognition.
Detailed resources
Explore every
order and body.
Each guide contains more than 1,000 words covering history, eligibility, structure, meetings, costs, identity, misconceptions and official sources.
Craft Grand LodgeGrand Lodge of Russia
The regular Craft Grand Lodge founded in Moscow in 1995 and currently listed by UGLE as its recognised Grand Lodge for Russia.
Read the complete guide →Ritual traditionsCraft Rites Worked in Russia
A guide to the different Craft ritual systems publicly associated with Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Russia.
Read the complete guide →Further-degree riteAncient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Russia
The family of degrees beyond the Craft associated with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in the modern Russian Masonic landscape.
Read the complete guide →Craft ritual traditionFrench Rite in Russia
A French-derived ritual working used in parts of the Russian Craft landscape under the authority of the relevant Grand Lodge.
Read the complete guide →Craft ritual traditionEmulation Working in Russia
An English-derived Craft ritual working publicly identified among the traditions practised in the Grand Lodge of Russia.
Read the complete guide →08 / Verified starting points