History of Freemasonry in Belgium
Encyclopedia
The history of Freemasonry
in Belgium reflects the many influences on what is now Belgium from the neighbouring states.
The first Belgian lodge was founded in 1721 in Mons
, under the name "La Parfaite Union" ("The Perfect Union"). It has frequently changed its name and allegiance since then, but still exists today as number 1 of the Grand Orient of Belgium
. Other, more short-lived lodges seem to have been created in Ghent
and Tournai
in 1730. The first evidence of masonic activity in the provinces dates to 1743, in Brussels
. This would be the "La Discrète Impériale" ("The Discrete Imperial") lodge of Aalst
which would have number one on the tablet of the order of the Provincial Grand Lodge (Grande loge provinciale) of the Austrian Netherlands, the mother-lodge of London several times recognising it as the oldest in the region. It disappeared with the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Austrian Netherlands.
Thanks to the War of the Austrian Succession
, from 1746 several lodges formed under the influence of French forces occupying the country and of the Grand Lodge of France (of which a French prince de sang, Louis de Bourbon Condé, Comte de Clermont, was Grand Master). These lodges received their patents from the Grand Lodge of France, the Grand Lodge of London, the Grand Lodge of Holland or the Grand Lodge of Scotland - for example, the "Parfaite Union" ("Perfect Union") Lodge at Namur
, one of the "ancient" lodges, which in 1777 became the "Bonne Amitié" ("Good Friendship") lodge in Namur). After the Treaty of la Barrière in 1715, Batavian troops (also including English and Scottish troops) occupied the strongholds of the Austrian Netherlands (notably Namur, Tournai
, Veurne
, Ypres
, Warneton
) for a long and difficult period, and it was probably this that led to the creation or confirmation of more lasting lodges.
Another event, within freemasonry itself, accelerated the demand for patents from the non-French masonic authorities. Internal disputes within the Grand Lodge of France led to its suspension in 1767, a result of the Convent's secession from this Grand Lodge in Paris, having been excluded in previous years. From then on lodges in the Austrian Netherlands came to feel isolated. This was certainly the case for the "Vraie et Parfaite Harmonie" ("True and Perfect Harmony") lodge in Mons (English patent, received January 1770), probably also for the "Discrète Impériale" in Aalst
(English patent, received June 1765) and perhaps for the "Parfaite Union/Bonne Amitié" in Namur (Scottish patent, received February 1770). In 1770, the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Austrian Netherlands formed, dependent on the Grand Lodge of London (the "Moderns"), made up of 26 lodges and with the Marquis de Gage as its Grand Master. It was centred on de Gage's own lodge "la Vraie et Parfaite Harmonie" in Mons, the most brilliant of the 18th century Austrian Netherlands.
It was in Brussels that Belgian Freemasonry was particularly important, with Masons frequently coming from its noble families. Also the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) was also founded by several Masons, many of whom were also Catholics, following an appeal by the Lodges of Belgium. To quote the writer Liane Ranieri"Originating from Brussels' Masonic lodges, Brussels' University largely benefitted from the communal [Masonic] authorities; [there were] 25 Masons out of its 31 administrators". An imperial edict of Joseph II
of January 1786 reduced the number of lodges in Brussels to 3 and banned them in all the other towns and cities. The Marquis de Gage tried to stall the edict but to no avail, and on 26 June that same year he was dismissed. Of the 3 official lodges in Brussels, only one truly continued the struggle.
It is useful to underline that the majority of 18th century lodges belonged to one man who became his lodge's President and so usually died out when he or his descendents died out. Examples of this include the "Parfaite Union" (Fonson family), "Vraie et Parfaite harmonie" (Marquis de Gage) and "Union des cœurs" ("Union of Hearts", by the chevalier de Sicard) lodges. Others, like the "Parfaite Union/Bonne Amitié" of Namur, did not have this characteristic and had presidents who succeeded each other quite regularly. This was why Joseph II's edict more surely put to sleep the majority of lodges of this era.
Nevertheless, a number of lodges continued to operate in secret. These were helped by the Brabant Revolution
, whose beginnings can be seen as early as 1787 and which broke out in earnest in 1789 in the wake of the French Revolution
. As a result there arose one lodge in Tournai, two in Mons, one in Namur, one in Antwerp and one in Luxembourg
.
Lodges of adoption
, not submitted to the imperial edict of 1786, continued in a more classical manner.
In the principality of Liège, the first lodge seems to have been "La Nymphe" ("The Nymph") lodge of Chaudfontaine
in 1749. In 1760, the prince-bishop banned freemasonry, but his successor François-Charles de Velbrück (1772–1784) belonged to and protected the Order (during the 18th century, several Catholic priests were also Freemasons.)
In 1774 the "Union des Cœurs" lodge was founded in Liège by chevalier Pierre de Sicard, who had already founded several lodges from which he profited (according to U. Capitaine) - in the lodge's regulations, the cost of a mallet, an apron, a lodge rug and other Masonic equipment was precisely stipulated! This was not the first time that the mercantile instinct had intruded into Freemasonry, with France's Grand Lodge also struggling against it at this time. This was why, Ulysse Capitaine tells us, there was a huge transfer of "brothers" from this lodge to the "la Parfaite Intelligence" ("The Perfect Intelligence") lodge, created in 1775 by the Grand Orient de France
. A schism quickly took place in this lodge, with the creation of the "la Parfaite Egalité" ("The Perfect Equality") lodge, finally recognised by the Grand Orient de France in 1776. Another lodge, the "Indivisible", in Spa
, was created by the Grand Lodge of Holland in 1778 and rejoined the Grand Orient de France (according to Ulysse Capitaine) in 1787.
, deposed from the English throne (the Duke was the brother-in-law of James III of England), as well as being enthusiastic freemasons. This Grand Orient thus represented the "Jacobite
" tendency within Freemasonry (named after James II of England
), a Freemasonry traditionally finding its roots among the Catholic Scottish nobility and in a format based on the upper degrees of freemasonry. This Grand Orient was represented by one lodge, the "Saint-Charles de la Parfaite Harmonie", situated in Bouillon. Its presence was historically confirmed in 1763, but few documents on it survive. It was the origin for other lodges, such as "Amitié et Fraternité" in 1786 in Dunkirk. Its influence was probably more important than the surviving documents seem to show.
The French period was characterised by an important expansion in Freemasonry in what would become Belgium. These lodges were perhaps revolutionary, anticlerical and Francophile. They were above all, at least in appearances, strongly submitted to French imperial power - Napoleon, as emperor, favoured Freemasonry only because he controlled it. It was at this time largely Deist, if not Catholic, even if anti-clericalism was never really absent, and experience little tension with the Roman Catholic Church. This period came to an end with Napoleon's final defeat at the battle of Waterloo
on 18 June 1815, by which time Belgium had 27 lodges.
and the Congress of Vienna
at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
annexed Belgium to the kingdom of the Netherlands
, with Belgian Freemasonry coming under Dutch instead of French influence. Some of its lodges disappeared with the end of French control, some of which were revived later. The Grand Lodge of the Netherlands (Grand Loge des Pays-Bas) formed at this time, with two administrative Grand Lodges (one for the north, known as Holland, and the other for the south, known as Belgium); the southern one included the "Bonne amitié" lodge of Namur, which was number one on the southern administrative Grand Lodge's tablet. Prince Frédéric d'Orange-Nassau became the overall lodge's Serenest Grand Master and Prince Charles-Alexandre de Gavre, a member of the "Bonne Amitié" lodge of Namur since the mid 1770s, became the southern lodge's official representative. Nevertheless, few records survive on the relations between the two administrative lodges and between the Serenest Grand Master and the various lodges, especially those in Belgium. These relations are illustrated by an episode in 1821 when the Belgian lodges suppressed the upper grades to replace them with a system of two contemporary grades to three top grades ("Élu" and "Maître Élu").
In effect, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
was formalised in 33 grades in 1801 in Charlestown, to return to France in 1804. This Rite also proved highly successful across Europe and the Americas. It was in 1817 that a supreme council of this rite would be created in Belgium, on the initiative of the "Les Amis Philantropes" lodge. In 1818 the Primitive Scottish Rite, also known as the Namur Rite, was officially constituted, with the Prince de Gavre as its Grand Master - its origins date back to the 1780s but it only ever had 4 lodges in Belgium and held its last ceremony there in 1866.
It was not only the upper grades that were practised during this era - some lodges practiced the philosophical Scottish rite, others the rectified rite, the Misraïm rite, the system of Hérédom de Kilwinning, or even the system of two upper grades put in place by prince Frédéric d'Orange-Nassau, among others the "le Septentrion" lodge in Ghent. Thus the diversity of practises in the late 18th century was carried over into the first half of the 19th century
The period of Dutch influence came to an end with the Belgian Revolution
of 1830.
, supported by Leopold I of Belgium
, who had himself been initiated in the "Loge l'Espérance" at Berne
in 1813. It was proposed that he become its Serenest Grand Master, but he declined the offer and instead gave that post to baron Goswin de Stassart
, one of his closest collaborators. Stassert had been initiated in Paris around 1803 and was affiliated to the "Bonne Amitié" lodge of Namur on 1 May 1820, then to the "Les Amis philanthropes" lodge on 24 June 1835. Stassart took as his special representative Théodore Verhaegen. "La Bonne Amitié" took number one on the tablet of the Grand Orient of Belgium until 1898, when it ceded that position to the "Parfaite Union" lodge of Mons. Some lodges remained faithful to the Grand-Orient des Pays-Bas -, the "Septentrion" in Ghent did so until 1883 and only joined the Grand Orient of Belgium late on.
The lodges in Liège, Huy and Verviers
created the "Fédération maçonnique belge" before joining the Grand Orient of Belgium in 1854. The creation of a new Grand Lodge for the new country of Belgium had rapidly caused these lodges problems over article 135 in the Masonic statutes, which forbade political and religious discussions in lodges, and they made unsuccessful attempts to have its suppressed. They then remained separate from the new Grand Lodge until the abrogation of this article in 1854.
In this era lodges were filled with military officers, so much so that F. Clément protested "…, we demand if there are still any officers in the army who have not yet been initiated" !
In the wake of the encyclical
Mirari Vos of 1832 and the resultant episcopal letter from cardinal Englebert Sterckx and the episcopate in 1837 banning Catholics from being or becoming Freemasons, Belgian freemasonry became less Catholic in character, though it remained deist. However, it seems that the Belgian episcopate favoured the election of Stassart as Grand Master, having initially decided that the struggle against "Orangism" (i.e. Protestantism) was the priority and that a freemasonry detached from Protestantism would be nominally neutral but in fact favour Catholicism.
The struggle between the pro- and anti-clerical movements reached a crescendo. It had a bearing on public education, up to the point that in 1834 the "Les Amis Philanthropes" lodge founded the Université libre et laïque de Bruxelles
, on the suggestion of Théodore Verhaegen in his discourse of 24 June 1834 to that lodge. The project then expanded massively, with several Catholic freemasons choosing freemasonry over the Catholic Church. Little by little Freemasonry came to recruit its members from the anti-clerical milieux, but the struggle was rough, as seen most of all in the changes in the Grand Lodge. For example, the old "Bonne Amitié" lodge at Namur came to be held at arm's length by its "ancients", members of the Primitive Scottish Rite, and so did not disappear despite the importance of the disaffiliations and dissensions caused by the encyclical. Other lodges, however, did not have the same opportunity.
The Baron de Stassart
retired as Grand Master of the Grand Orient (until then a post held for life) on 16 June 1841, following his departure as governor of the Province of Brabant for not having favoured the election of a "Grand Maréchal du Palais" (he made a decision of the clerical type of the "Unionist" government) and facing the rise to power of socio-political movements within the lodge. 6,000 people gathered in the Parc de Bruxelles to show their solidarity with him, a considerable number for this era.
became president of the Supreme Council (Upper Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
), after having been president of the Grand Orient of Belgium. He had an important international impact, organising the international conference of Supreme Councils in Brussels in 1907, at which 21/25 Supreme Councils were represented, including those from the United States of America but with the notable exceptions of the 3 "Supreme Councils" of Great Britain. This conference was repeated in Washington in 1912 and in Lausanne in 1922. In 1913, the Supreme Council of Belgium delivered the patents of constitutions from the Supreme Council of the Netherlands. It was at this moment that Freemasonry first took on a new international unity.
Without denying its past, at the start of the 20th century Belgian Freemasonry and its practices were now more classical in appearance, in an appeased spirit and very different to its appearance a hundred years before - obedience to the symbolic degrees (the first three degrees), to the Upper Degrees, often directed by the same man - in short, a Freemasonry that was expanding. Nevertheless, from this communal base, Belgian Freemasonry little by little became more diverse. A large part of Belgian Freemasonry as it stands today derives from this Grand Orient - Suprême Conseil unity at the start of the 20th century. The lay Flemish struggle, emanating from the Antwerp and Ghent
lodges, at this point concentrated on the Flemishisation of the University of Ghent.
, initiated in the "Diderot" lodge of the Grand Symbolic Scottish Rite Lodge (French in origin) around 1903. She was later invited to a Masonic meeting at the "Amis philanthropes" lodge, but she fell sick (dying in 1905) and this meeting did not occur. In 1905 the first lodge of Le Droit Humain
was created in Amsterdam
, the Cazotte lodge (number 13), inaugurated by Georges Martin
: a delegation from the "Amis du Commerce et de la Persévérance Réunis" and "Amis Philanthropes" lodges was sent to it and these two lodges decided to affiliate to it, with the idea of creating a lodge of this jurisdiction in Belgium. Concerning the presence of women in a lodge, the Grand Orient of Belgium
pronounced the recreation of lodges of adoption
in the image of those of 18th century French lodges of that type! These lodges of adoption formed the basiss for the creation of the Grande Loge féminine de France after the Second World War.
On 21 November 1910, the "les Amis Philanthropes" lodge, under the presidency of Henri Lafontaine
, welcomed the founder of Le Droit Humain
along with Maria Deraismes
, Georges Martin and other male and female freemasons to a conference. The Grand Orient quietly condemned the move, and the "Les Amis Philanthropes" lodge split, speeding up the formation of the first Le Droit Humain
lodge in Belgium out of the pro-female masons who had split from "Les Amis Philanthropes". This was to be the "Égalité" ("Equality") lodge, number 45, which was officially inaugurated in 1912. Unfortunately the death of Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
meant the new lodge had no high-profile woman to recruit for it and so was mainly made up of men. Only in the inter-war period did women take up leadership responsibilities in this jurisdiction in Belgium, which became autonomous in 1928 with (at first) 6 lodges. This autonomy came with the 1928 formation of the Fédération belge du Droit Humain as a mixed-sex Grand Lodge, and saw a continuing expansion (whilst the Grand Orient of Belgium seeing its numbers neither rise nor fall during the inter-war period and remaining hostile to the Droit Humain until after the Second World War). The Grande Loge féminine de France was created in 1952, with a solely female membership. This jurisdiction later created lodges in other countries, with Belgium' first forming in 1974. The Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium formed in 1981.
, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium, on 27 September 1914, aiming to have the occupying troops exactions on the Belgians examined by an independent commission. This received two polite responses from seven close jurisdictions. Magnette relapsed in 7 November 1915 to prevent the massive deporation of Belgian workers to Germany and was arrested and imprisoned by the occupying authorities for subversion for the duration. The lodges resumed their work when peace came, but found new enemies in the dictators of the right and left (with the former finding Masonry's emphasis on free thought dangerous, and the latter reproaching it for "class collaboration").
In 1921 the "Association Maçonnique Internationale" (A.M.I.) was created on the initiative of the Swiss Grand Lodge Alpina and with the active participation of Charles Magnette
. Like the vast majority of international Freemasonry (with the notable exception of the Grand United Lodge of England), the Grand Orient of Belgium adhered to this organisation, though the Grand Lodges of New York and the Netherlands soon left it.
On the German invasion on 10 May 1940, Freemasonry was banned. With the aid of a list of Freemasons published in a conservative Catholic newspaper, the occupiers arrested, deported and assassinated several Masons, such as Georges Pêtre, president of the supreme council in 1942, and Jules Hiernaux
, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium in 1944. Belgian Masonic life continued in exile in London and New York, and even secretly in the concentration camp at Esterwegen
(the "Liberté chérie
" lodge) and the PoW camp at Prenslau (the "L'Obstinée" lodge).
which had created it. On 15 May 1954 the Convention of Luxembourg was signed, combining the United Grand Lodges of Germany, the Grand Orient of the Netherlands, the Grande loge suisse Alpina
, etc. This convention enumerated the six proofs of regularity to which jurisdictions had to subscribe in order to be mutually recognised. The United Grand Lodge of England later joined this movement, becoming the regulator of Masonic regularity. The schism between "regular"
and "liberal" Freemasonry became official at this date, even if in 1958 the Grand Orient of the Netherlands unsuccessfully tried to reconcile the Grands Orient de France and Grand Orient of Belgium to the international movement which it was creating. In 1959 5 lodges aspiring to greater "regularity" formed the "Grand Lodge of Belgium", dragging in their wake Belgium's Supreme Council, which broke off relations with the Grand Orient of Belgium
in 1960. The Grand Lodge of Belgium was recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England in 1965. On 22 January 1961, in reaction, the CLIPSAS was created to gather together the "liberal" jurisdctions (most important among them the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Orient de France and the Droit Humain). This grouping ran into difficulties in 1995, leading to the creation of "AMIL".
In 1979, a schism occurred in the Grand Lodge of Belgium with the creation of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, again dragging along the Supreme Council of Belgium. This new Grand Lodge finally became the only one in Belgium to be recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. This led to a rapprochement between the Grand Lodge of Belgium and the Grand Orient of Belgium
, with accords of mutual recognition and cooperation officialised in 1989.
New Upper Degrees jurisdictions were also created in the absence of the "Supreme Council of Belgium" at the level of jurisdictions that left it in turn, to join the "Grand Collège du Rite Écossais pour la Belgique" and the "Supreme Council for Belgium", which now co-operates with its related jurisdictions. Even Belgium's Droit Humain and the Grande Loge Féminine have their own systems of Upper Degrees.
Other jurisdictions and rites were also present in Belgian, but in a quite secretive manner. Among them, the most important rite was the Rite of Memphis-Misraim
, long present in Belgium and now co-operating with most of the "liberal" Belgian masonic associations.
At the end of the 20th century, Belgian freemasonry thus had a very diversified appearance and a great wealth of practices, with a number of female and male freemasons that it has not reached since its origins.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
in Belgium reflects the many influences on what is now Belgium from the neighbouring states.
18th century
In the 18th century, Belgium was made up of 2 states - the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.Austrian Netherlands
Freemasonry in the Austrian Netherlands was very varied in its origins and expressions. The source of this fragmentation was to be found particularly in the complexity of its institutions, the influence of the government or surrounding powers, and its very deeply-rooted local sense of identity.The first Belgian lodge was founded in 1721 in Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, under the name "La Parfaite Union" ("The Perfect Union"). It has frequently changed its name and allegiance since then, but still exists today as number 1 of the Grand Orient of Belgium
Grand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
. Other, more short-lived lodges seem to have been created in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
in 1730. The first evidence of masonic activity in the provinces dates to 1743, in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. This would be the "La Discrète Impériale" ("The Discrete Imperial") lodge of Aalst
Aalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
which would have number one on the tablet of the order of the Provincial Grand Lodge (Grande loge provinciale) of the Austrian Netherlands, the mother-lodge of London several times recognising it as the oldest in the region. It disappeared with the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Austrian Netherlands.
Thanks to the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, from 1746 several lodges formed under the influence of French forces occupying the country and of the Grand Lodge of France (of which a French prince de sang, Louis de Bourbon Condé, Comte de Clermont, was Grand Master). These lodges received their patents from the Grand Lodge of France, the Grand Lodge of London, the Grand Lodge of Holland or the Grand Lodge of Scotland - for example, the "Parfaite Union" ("Perfect Union") Lodge at Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, one of the "ancient" lodges, which in 1777 became the "Bonne Amitié" ("Good Friendship") lodge in Namur). After the Treaty of la Barrière in 1715, Batavian troops (also including English and Scottish troops) occupied the strongholds of the Austrian Netherlands (notably Namur, Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
, Veurne
Veurne
Veurne is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of Avekapelle, Booitshoeke, Bulskamp, De Moeren, Eggewaartskapelle, Houtem, Steenkerke, Vinkem, Wulveringem, and Zoutenaaie.-Origins in the 15th...
, Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, Warneton
Warneton, Belgium
Warneton is part of the Belgian town of Comines-Warneton in Wallonia in the province of Hainaut...
) for a long and difficult period, and it was probably this that led to the creation or confirmation of more lasting lodges.
Another event, within freemasonry itself, accelerated the demand for patents from the non-French masonic authorities. Internal disputes within the Grand Lodge of France led to its suspension in 1767, a result of the Convent's secession from this Grand Lodge in Paris, having been excluded in previous years. From then on lodges in the Austrian Netherlands came to feel isolated. This was certainly the case for the "Vraie et Parfaite Harmonie" ("True and Perfect Harmony") lodge in Mons (English patent, received January 1770), probably also for the "Discrète Impériale" in Aalst
Aalst, Belgium
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 19 miles northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade,...
(English patent, received June 1765) and perhaps for the "Parfaite Union/Bonne Amitié" in Namur (Scottish patent, received February 1770). In 1770, the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Austrian Netherlands formed, dependent on the Grand Lodge of London (the "Moderns"), made up of 26 lodges and with the Marquis de Gage as its Grand Master. It was centred on de Gage's own lodge "la Vraie et Parfaite Harmonie" in Mons, the most brilliant of the 18th century Austrian Netherlands.
It was in Brussels that Belgian Freemasonry was particularly important, with Masons frequently coming from its noble families. Also the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) was also founded by several Masons, many of whom were also Catholics, following an appeal by the Lodges of Belgium. To quote the writer Liane Ranieri"Originating from Brussels' Masonic lodges, Brussels' University largely benefitted from the communal [Masonic] authorities; [there were] 25 Masons out of its 31 administrators". An imperial edict of Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
of January 1786 reduced the number of lodges in Brussels to 3 and banned them in all the other towns and cities. The Marquis de Gage tried to stall the edict but to no avail, and on 26 June that same year he was dismissed. Of the 3 official lodges in Brussels, only one truly continued the struggle.
It is useful to underline that the majority of 18th century lodges belonged to one man who became his lodge's President and so usually died out when he or his descendents died out. Examples of this include the "Parfaite Union" (Fonson family), "Vraie et Parfaite harmonie" (Marquis de Gage) and "Union des cœurs" ("Union of Hearts", by the chevalier de Sicard) lodges. Others, like the "Parfaite Union/Bonne Amitié" of Namur, did not have this characteristic and had presidents who succeeded each other quite regularly. This was why Joseph II's edict more surely put to sleep the majority of lodges of this era.
Nevertheless, a number of lodges continued to operate in secret. These were helped by the Brabant Revolution
United States of Belgium
The United States of Belgium, part of Brabant.In October, he invaded Brabant and captured Turnhout, defeating the Austrians in the Battle of Turnhout on October 27. Ghent was taken on November 13, and on November 17 the imperial regents Albert of Saxony and Archduchess Maria Christina fled Brussels...
, whose beginnings can be seen as early as 1787 and which broke out in earnest in 1789 in the wake of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. As a result there arose one lodge in Tournai, two in Mons, one in Namur, one in Antwerp and one in Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
.
18th century lodges in Brussels
- One lodge, name unknown, c.1740.
- L’Union, 1742.
- L’Equité, 1743.
- L’Union Parfaite, 1754.
- Loge Saint-Charles.
- La Constance de l’Union, 1769.
- La Constance Eprouvée (20 mai 1770)
- L’Heureuse Rencontre, 1772.
- La Parfaite Amitié (ou l’Amitié), 1772.
- Les Vrais Amis de la Justice, 1775.
- Les Vrais Amis de l’Union, 1782.
- L’Union Fraternelle, 1784.
- La Constance de l’Union (or les Amis de l’Union), 1784.
Lodges of adoptionRite of AdoptionThe Rite of Adoption was a Masonic rite which appeared in France in the 18th century. It was practised by women's lodges and represents the beginnings of Freemasonry for women....
(women)
- La Parfaite Harmonie, 1782.
- A l’Heureuse Rencontre (Les Vrais Amis)
- Au Chapitre de l’Union, 1777.
- Aux Vrais Amis de l’Union.
- Grande Loge de Saint-André d’Écosse, 1785.
Prince-Bishopric of Liège
The lodges in the principality of LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, not submitted to the imperial edict of 1786, continued in a more classical manner.
In the principality of Liège, the first lodge seems to have been "La Nymphe" ("The Nymph") lodge of Chaudfontaine
Chaudfontaine
Chaudfontaine is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Chaudfontaine had a total population of 21,012. The total area is 25.52 km² which gives a population density of 823 inhabitants per km²....
in 1749. In 1760, the prince-bishop banned freemasonry, but his successor François-Charles de Velbrück (1772–1784) belonged to and protected the Order (during the 18th century, several Catholic priests were also Freemasons.)
In 1774 the "Union des Cœurs" lodge was founded in Liège by chevalier Pierre de Sicard, who had already founded several lodges from which he profited (according to U. Capitaine) - in the lodge's regulations, the cost of a mallet, an apron, a lodge rug and other Masonic equipment was precisely stipulated! This was not the first time that the mercantile instinct had intruded into Freemasonry, with France's Grand Lodge also struggling against it at this time. This was why, Ulysse Capitaine tells us, there was a huge transfer of "brothers" from this lodge to the "la Parfaite Intelligence" ("The Perfect Intelligence") lodge, created in 1775 by the Grand Orient de France
Grand Orient de France
The Grand Orient de France is the largest of several Masonic organizations in France and the oldest in Continental Europe, founded in 1733.-Foundation:...
. A schism quickly took place in this lodge, with the creation of the "la Parfaite Egalité" ("The Perfect Equality") lodge, finally recognised by the Grand Orient de France in 1776. Another lodge, the "Indivisible", in Spa
Spa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
, was created by the Grand Lodge of Holland in 1778 and rejoined the Grand Orient de France (according to Ulysse Capitaine) in 1787.
The Grand Orient de Bouillon
The Duchy of Bouillon, annexed from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège by French troops of Louis XIV, was a sovereign duchy set up for the Duc de Bouillon. Its dukes during the 18th century were Charles-Godefroy, then Godefroy-Charles de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne. The La Tour d'Auvergne family in this era was strongly linked to the House of StuartHouse of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
, deposed from the English throne (the Duke was the brother-in-law of James III of England), as well as being enthusiastic freemasons. This Grand Orient thus represented the "Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
" tendency within Freemasonry (named after James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
), a Freemasonry traditionally finding its roots among the Catholic Scottish nobility and in a format based on the upper degrees of freemasonry. This Grand Orient was represented by one lodge, the "Saint-Charles de la Parfaite Harmonie", situated in Bouillon. Its presence was historically confirmed in 1763, but few documents on it survive. It was the origin for other lodges, such as "Amitié et Fraternité" in 1786 in Dunkirk. Its influence was probably more important than the surviving documents seem to show.
1795 to 1814
The French Revolution decimated freemasonry in France itself - from around 700 lodges and 30,000 masons during the ancien regime, only around 30 lodges and a few thousand masons remained. - but led to a new start for Belgian freemasonry. This was due to the new French republic's annexation of the Austrian Netherlands in 1794, and its merger into France from 1795 to 1814. From 1798, thanks to French military lodges, the "Les Amis Philanthrope" lodge was created in Brussels, giving second wind to Belgian freemasonry and forming the basis for the most important Belgian Masonic works of the following century. The military lodges also caused a massive expansion in the number of new lodges (see the list below).The French period was characterised by an important expansion in Freemasonry in what would become Belgium. These lodges were perhaps revolutionary, anticlerical and Francophile. They were above all, at least in appearances, strongly submitted to French imperial power - Napoleon, as emperor, favoured Freemasonry only because he controlled it. It was at this time largely Deist, if not Catholic, even if anti-clericalism was never really absent, and experience little tension with the Roman Catholic Church. This period came to an end with Napoleon's final defeat at the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
on 18 June 1815, by which time Belgium had 27 lodges.
1815-1830
The treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
and the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
annexed Belgium to the kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, with Belgian Freemasonry coming under Dutch instead of French influence. Some of its lodges disappeared with the end of French control, some of which were revived later. The Grand Lodge of the Netherlands (Grand Loge des Pays-Bas) formed at this time, with two administrative Grand Lodges (one for the north, known as Holland, and the other for the south, known as Belgium); the southern one included the "Bonne amitié" lodge of Namur, which was number one on the southern administrative Grand Lodge's tablet. Prince Frédéric d'Orange-Nassau became the overall lodge's Serenest Grand Master and Prince Charles-Alexandre de Gavre, a member of the "Bonne Amitié" lodge of Namur since the mid 1770s, became the southern lodge's official representative. Nevertheless, few records survive on the relations between the two administrative lodges and between the Serenest Grand Master and the various lodges, especially those in Belgium. These relations are illustrated by an episode in 1821 when the Belgian lodges suppressed the upper grades to replace them with a system of two contemporary grades to three top grades ("Élu" and "Maître Élu").
In effect, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
was formalised in 33 grades in 1801 in Charlestown, to return to France in 1804. This Rite also proved highly successful across Europe and the Americas. It was in 1817 that a supreme council of this rite would be created in Belgium, on the initiative of the "Les Amis Philantropes" lodge. In 1818 the Primitive Scottish Rite, also known as the Namur Rite, was officially constituted, with the Prince de Gavre as its Grand Master - its origins date back to the 1780s but it only ever had 4 lodges in Belgium and held its last ceremony there in 1866.
It was not only the upper grades that were practised during this era - some lodges practiced the philosophical Scottish rite, others the rectified rite, the Misraïm rite, the system of Hérédom de Kilwinning, or even the system of two upper grades put in place by prince Frédéric d'Orange-Nassau, among others the "le Septentrion" lodge in Ghent. Thus the diversity of practises in the late 18th century was carried over into the first half of the 19th century
The Grand Orient of Belgium
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
of 1830.
Beginnings
The birth of the kingdom of Belgium led in 1833 to the creation of the Grand Orient of BelgiumGrand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
, supported by Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, who had himself been initiated in the "Loge l'Espérance" at Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
in 1813. It was proposed that he become its Serenest Grand Master, but he declined the offer and instead gave that post to baron Goswin de Stassart
Goswin de Stassart
Goswin Joseph Augustin, Baron de Stassart was a Dutch-Belgian politician.Stassart studied accounting and economics in Paris. In 1804 he became Auditor in the French State Council, in 1805 he became Intendant in Tirol, and in 1807 he served in the French army in Prussia...
, one of his closest collaborators. Stassert had been initiated in Paris around 1803 and was affiliated to the "Bonne Amitié" lodge of Namur on 1 May 1820, then to the "Les Amis philanthropes" lodge on 24 June 1835. Stassart took as his special representative Théodore Verhaegen. "La Bonne Amitié" took number one on the tablet of the Grand Orient of Belgium until 1898, when it ceded that position to the "Parfaite Union" lodge of Mons. Some lodges remained faithful to the Grand-Orient des Pays-Bas -, the "Septentrion" in Ghent did so until 1883 and only joined the Grand Orient of Belgium late on.
The lodges in Liège, Huy and Verviers
Verviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
created the "Fédération maçonnique belge" before joining the Grand Orient of Belgium in 1854. The creation of a new Grand Lodge for the new country of Belgium had rapidly caused these lodges problems over article 135 in the Masonic statutes, which forbade political and religious discussions in lodges, and they made unsuccessful attempts to have its suppressed. They then remained separate from the new Grand Lodge until the abrogation of this article in 1854.
In this era lodges were filled with military officers, so much so that F. Clément protested "…, we demand if there are still any officers in the army who have not yet been initiated" !
In the wake of the encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Mirari Vos of 1832 and the resultant episcopal letter from cardinal Englebert Sterckx and the episcopate in 1837 banning Catholics from being or becoming Freemasons, Belgian freemasonry became less Catholic in character, though it remained deist. However, it seems that the Belgian episcopate favoured the election of Stassart as Grand Master, having initially decided that the struggle against "Orangism" (i.e. Protestantism) was the priority and that a freemasonry detached from Protestantism would be nominally neutral but in fact favour Catholicism.
The struggle between the pro- and anti-clerical movements reached a crescendo. It had a bearing on public education, up to the point that in 1834 the "Les Amis Philanthropes" lodge founded the Université libre et laïque de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
, on the suggestion of Théodore Verhaegen in his discourse of 24 June 1834 to that lodge. The project then expanded massively, with several Catholic freemasons choosing freemasonry over the Catholic Church. Little by little Freemasonry came to recruit its members from the anti-clerical milieux, but the struggle was rough, as seen most of all in the changes in the Grand Lodge. For example, the old "Bonne Amitié" lodge at Namur came to be held at arm's length by its "ancients", members of the Primitive Scottish Rite, and so did not disappear despite the importance of the disaffiliations and dissensions caused by the encyclical. Other lodges, however, did not have the same opportunity.
The Baron de Stassart
Goswin de Stassart
Goswin Joseph Augustin, Baron de Stassart was a Dutch-Belgian politician.Stassart studied accounting and economics in Paris. In 1804 he became Auditor in the French State Council, in 1805 he became Intendant in Tirol, and in 1807 he served in the French army in Prussia...
retired as Grand Master of the Grand Orient (until then a post held for life) on 16 June 1841, following his departure as governor of the Province of Brabant for not having favoured the election of a "Grand Maréchal du Palais" (he made a decision of the clerical type of the "Unionist" government) and facing the rise to power of socio-political movements within the lodge. 6,000 people gathered in the Parc de Bruxelles to show their solidarity with him, a considerable number for this era.
20th century
The main defining feature of 20th century freemasonry was the creation of several female lodges, of mixed obediences. The second half of the century was also characterised by the structuralisation of international freemasonry into two blocks.To 1914
In 1900, Goblet d'AlviellaEugene Goblet d'Alviella
Eugène Félicien Albert, Count Goblet d'Alviella was a lawyer, liberal senator of Belgium and a Professor of the history of religions and rector of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles...
became president of the Supreme Council (Upper Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
), after having been president of the Grand Orient of Belgium. He had an important international impact, organising the international conference of Supreme Councils in Brussels in 1907, at which 21/25 Supreme Councils were represented, including those from the United States of America but with the notable exceptions of the 3 "Supreme Councils" of Great Britain. This conference was repeated in Washington in 1912 and in Lausanne in 1922. In 1913, the Supreme Council of Belgium delivered the patents of constitutions from the Supreme Council of the Netherlands. It was at this moment that Freemasonry first took on a new international unity.
Without denying its past, at the start of the 20th century Belgian Freemasonry and its practices were now more classical in appearance, in an appeased spirit and very different to its appearance a hundred years before - obedience to the symbolic degrees (the first three degrees), to the Upper Degrees, often directed by the same man - in short, a Freemasonry that was expanding. Nevertheless, from this communal base, Belgian Freemasonry little by little became more diverse. A large part of Belgian Freemasonry as it stands today derives from this Grand Orient - Suprême Conseil unity at the start of the 20th century. The lay Flemish struggle, emanating from the Antwerp and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
lodges, at this point concentrated on the Flemishisation of the University of Ghent.
Women
The main development in early 20th century Belgian Freemasonry, however, was the birth of mixed female-male Freemasonry and women's assertion of their equal right with men to become masons. The first female Belgian freemason was Isabelle Gatti de GamondIsabelle Gatti de Gamond
Isabelle Laure Gatti de Gamond was an Italo-Belgian educationalist, feminist, and politician.Isabelle Gatti was the second of four daughters born to Giovanni Gatti, an Italian artist, and feminist writer Zoé de Gamond, of Brussels...
, initiated in the "Diderot" lodge of the Grand Symbolic Scottish Rite Lodge (French in origin) around 1903. She was later invited to a Masonic meeting at the "Amis philanthropes" lodge, but she fell sick (dying in 1905) and this meeting did not occur. In 1905 the first lodge of Le Droit Humain
Le Droit Humain
The International Order of Co-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. The Order is founded on the ancient teachings and traditions of Freemasonry, using Masonic ritual...
was created in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Cazotte lodge (number 13), inaugurated by Georges Martin
Georges Martin (freemason)
Georges Martin was a French doctor, politician and Freemason.He was initiated on 21 March 1879 into the Union et Bienfaisance lodge of the Grande Loge de France. He was one of the founders of France's "Symbolic Scottish Grand Lodge". From 1890, he worked unsuccessfully for women's initiation...
: a delegation from the "Amis du Commerce et de la Persévérance Réunis" and "Amis Philanthropes" lodges was sent to it and these two lodges decided to affiliate to it, with the idea of creating a lodge of this jurisdiction in Belgium. Concerning the presence of women in a lodge, the Grand Orient of Belgium
Grand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
pronounced the recreation of lodges of adoption
Rite of Adoption
The Rite of Adoption was a Masonic rite which appeared in France in the 18th century. It was practised by women's lodges and represents the beginnings of Freemasonry for women....
in the image of those of 18th century French lodges of that type! These lodges of adoption formed the basiss for the creation of the Grande Loge féminine de France after the Second World War.
On 21 November 1910, the "les Amis Philanthropes" lodge, under the presidency of Henri Lafontaine
Henri La Fontaine
Henri La Fontaine , was a Belgian international lawyer and president of the International Peace Bureau. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1913.-Biography:...
, welcomed the founder of Le Droit Humain
Le Droit Humain
The International Order of Co-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. The Order is founded on the ancient teachings and traditions of Freemasonry, using Masonic ritual...
along with Maria Deraismes
Maria Deraismes
Maria Deraismes was a French author and major pioneering force for women's rights.- Biography :Born in Paris, Maria Deraismes grew up in Pontoise in the city's northwest outskirts...
, Georges Martin and other male and female freemasons to a conference. The Grand Orient quietly condemned the move, and the "Les Amis Philanthropes" lodge split, speeding up the formation of the first Le Droit Humain
Le Droit Humain
The International Order of Co-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. The Order is founded on the ancient teachings and traditions of Freemasonry, using Masonic ritual...
lodge in Belgium out of the pro-female masons who had split from "Les Amis Philanthropes". This was to be the "Égalité" ("Equality") lodge, number 45, which was officially inaugurated in 1912. Unfortunately the death of Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
Isabelle Gatti de Gamond
Isabelle Laure Gatti de Gamond was an Italo-Belgian educationalist, feminist, and politician.Isabelle Gatti was the second of four daughters born to Giovanni Gatti, an Italian artist, and feminist writer Zoé de Gamond, of Brussels...
meant the new lodge had no high-profile woman to recruit for it and so was mainly made up of men. Only in the inter-war period did women take up leadership responsibilities in this jurisdiction in Belgium, which became autonomous in 1928 with (at first) 6 lodges. This autonomy came with the 1928 formation of the Fédération belge du Droit Humain as a mixed-sex Grand Lodge, and saw a continuing expansion (whilst the Grand Orient of Belgium seeing its numbers neither rise nor fall during the inter-war period and remaining hostile to the Droit Humain until after the Second World War). The Grande Loge féminine de France was created in 1952, with a solely female membership. This jurisdiction later created lodges in other countries, with Belgium' first forming in 1974. The Women's Grand Lodge Of Belgium formed in 1981.
1914-1945
During the First World War Belgium was almost wholly occupied by Germany and the lodges suspended their operations. The period was marked by the "Call to the Grand Lodges of Germany" organised by Charles MagnetteCharles Magnette
Charles Magnette , was a Belgian lawyer and a liberal politician.He was President of the Belgian Senate from 1928 until 1932 and Minister of State. He was Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium three times...
, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium, on 27 September 1914, aiming to have the occupying troops exactions on the Belgians examined by an independent commission. This received two polite responses from seven close jurisdictions. Magnette relapsed in 7 November 1915 to prevent the massive deporation of Belgian workers to Germany and was arrested and imprisoned by the occupying authorities for subversion for the duration. The lodges resumed their work when peace came, but found new enemies in the dictators of the right and left (with the former finding Masonry's emphasis on free thought dangerous, and the latter reproaching it for "class collaboration").
In 1921 the "Association Maçonnique Internationale" (A.M.I.) was created on the initiative of the Swiss Grand Lodge Alpina and with the active participation of Charles Magnette
Charles Magnette
Charles Magnette , was a Belgian lawyer and a liberal politician.He was President of the Belgian Senate from 1928 until 1932 and Minister of State. He was Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium three times...
. Like the vast majority of international Freemasonry (with the notable exception of the Grand United Lodge of England), the Grand Orient of Belgium adhered to this organisation, though the Grand Lodges of New York and the Netherlands soon left it.
On the German invasion on 10 May 1940, Freemasonry was banned. With the aid of a list of Freemasons published in a conservative Catholic newspaper, the occupiers arrested, deported and assassinated several Masons, such as Georges Pêtre, president of the supreme council in 1942, and Jules Hiernaux
Jules Hiernaux
Jules Hiernaux , was a Belgian politician.He was the founder, and later, director of Université du Travail in Charleroi...
, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Belgium in 1944. Belgian Masonic life continued in exile in London and New York, and even secretly in the concentration camp at Esterwegen
Esterwegen
Esterwegen is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.In 1933 a concentration camp was established in Esterwegen. In 1936 the camp was dissolved and used till 1945 as a prisoner camp, for political prisoners and later for prisoners of the decree Nacht und Nebel.- Well known...
(the "Liberté chérie
Liberté Chérie
The French association ' , created in March 2001 under the name , first came to public prominence on June 15, 2003, when, after its call to demonstrate "in favour of reforms and against blockings" and against government employees who were striking, an estimated 80,000 protesters gathered on the ...
" lodge) and the PoW camp at Prenslau (the "L'Obstinée" lodge).
Post-war
On Belgium's liberation, Masonry resumed but its numbers had fallen by a quarter. In 1950, the "Association Maçonnique Internationale" was dissolved by the Grande Loge suisse AlpinaGrande Loge Suisse Alpina
The Grande Loge Suisse Alpina is one of the Grand Lodges of Freemasons that covers Switzerland. It was founded in 1844 and is recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. It lists 83 lodges....
which had created it. On 15 May 1954 the Convention of Luxembourg was signed, combining the United Grand Lodges of Germany, the Grand Orient of the Netherlands, the Grande loge suisse Alpina
Grande Loge Suisse Alpina
The Grande Loge Suisse Alpina is one of the Grand Lodges of Freemasons that covers Switzerland. It was founded in 1844 and is recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. It lists 83 lodges....
, etc. This convention enumerated the six proofs of regularity to which jurisdictions had to subscribe in order to be mutually recognised. The United Grand Lodge of England later joined this movement, becoming the regulator of Masonic regularity. The schism between "regular"
Regular Masonic jurisdictions
Regularity is the process by which individual Grand Lodges recognise one another for the purposes of allowing formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level and visitation by members of other jurisdictions.-History:...
and "liberal" Freemasonry became official at this date, even if in 1958 the Grand Orient of the Netherlands unsuccessfully tried to reconcile the Grands Orient de France and Grand Orient of Belgium to the international movement which it was creating. In 1959 5 lodges aspiring to greater "regularity" formed the "Grand Lodge of Belgium", dragging in their wake Belgium's Supreme Council, which broke off relations with the Grand Orient of Belgium
Grand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
in 1960. The Grand Lodge of Belgium was recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England in 1965. On 22 January 1961, in reaction, the CLIPSAS was created to gather together the "liberal" jurisdctions (most important among them the Grand Orient of Belgium, the Grand Orient de France and the Droit Humain). This grouping ran into difficulties in 1995, leading to the creation of "AMIL".
In 1979, a schism occurred in the Grand Lodge of Belgium with the creation of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, again dragging along the Supreme Council of Belgium. This new Grand Lodge finally became the only one in Belgium to be recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. This led to a rapprochement between the Grand Lodge of Belgium and the Grand Orient of Belgium
Grand Orient of Belgium
The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
, with accords of mutual recognition and cooperation officialised in 1989.
New Upper Degrees jurisdictions were also created in the absence of the "Supreme Council of Belgium" at the level of jurisdictions that left it in turn, to join the "Grand Collège du Rite Écossais pour la Belgique" and the "Supreme Council for Belgium", which now co-operates with its related jurisdictions. Even Belgium's Droit Humain and the Grande Loge Féminine have their own systems of Upper Degrees.
Other jurisdictions and rites were also present in Belgian, but in a quite secretive manner. Among them, the most important rite was the Rite of Memphis-Misraim
Rite of Memphis-Misraim
The Rite of Memphis-Misraim is a fringe Freemasonic rite which was formed by the merging of the two rites of Memphis and Misraïm under the influence of General Garibaldi in 1881.-The Rite of Misraïm:...
, long present in Belgium and now co-operating with most of the "liberal" Belgian masonic associations.
At the end of the 20th century, Belgian freemasonry thus had a very diversified appearance and a great wealth of practices, with a number of female and male freemasons that it has not reached since its origins.