Grand Orient of Italy

The Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) (Italian: Grande Oriente d'Italia) is an Italian masonic grand lodge founded in 1805; the viceroy Eugene of Beauharnais was instrumental in its establishment.[1] It was based at the Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome, Italy from 1901 until 1985 and is now located at the Villa del Vascello.[2] Its current Grand Master is Italian journalist Stefano Bisi.[3]

Grande Oriente d'Italia
Formation1805 (1805)
TypeMasonic Grand Lodge
HeadquartersIl Vascello,
Via San Pancrazio 8,
00152 Rome
Location
  • Italy
Grand Master
Stefano Bisi
Websitegrandeoriente.it

As of September 2015 the Grand Orient had 22,675 members in 842 lodges,[4] a significant growth over the preceding three-year period.[5]

The international influence of the Grand Orient has decreased since it lost the official recognition of the "Home Grand Lodges" (of England, Ireland, and Scotland) owing to alleged corruption, although it remains regular in government and practice.

History

The Grand Orient of Italy was founded in 1805, during the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy; the viceroy Eugene of Beauharnais was instrumental in its establishment.

Past Grand Masters have included:

Freemasonry was suppressed by Mussolini in 1925, being restarted after the Second World War.[9]

Regularity

Recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is a key factor in maintaining the status of a Regular Masonic jurisdiction. The Grand Orient of Italy was once a significant player within international Freemasonry, and in 1972 it was recognised as regular by the UGLE.[10] However, this recognition was withdrawn in 1993, due to accusations of corruption and Mafia involvement. Today the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy is the only Italian Grand Lodge recognized by the UGLE, or the other home constitutions of Ireland and Scotland.[11] However, the Grand Orient is fully recognised by a large majority of the other regular masonic jurisdictions, both in Europe and worldwide.

This situation is highly unusual, in that most regular authorities recognise the Grand Orient, but its status is complicated by the lack of recognition from the three most senior jurisdictions, which normally give a lead in terms of international recognition. To further complicate the situation, the United Grand Lodge of England has publicly stated that the Grand Orient of Italy is regular in both origins and practices, but that it must remain unrecognised due to the issues surrounding alleged corruption.[12]

Propaganda Due, the lodge that investigative journalists have identified as being implicated in the murder of Roberto Calvi, was originally chartered by the Grand Orient, although the Grand Orient revoked its charter in 1974.[10]

List of Grand Masters

Prior to Gustavo Raffi's grand mastership two terms of five years was the maximum tenure for a grand master. This, however was changed during Raffi's time, and his three-term grand mastership which began in 1999 ended in 2014.[5]

# Name
(Birth-Death)		 Term Origin Occupation
1 Eugène de Beauharnais
(1781–1824)		 1805 1814 Paris, France Viceroy of Italy (1805–1814)
Lodge suppressed
2 Filippo Delpino
(1779–1860)		 December 20, 1859 May 20, 1860 † Genoa, Piedmont-Sardinia Patriot
3 Livio Zambeccari
(1802–1862)		 May 21, 1860 October 3, 1861 Bologna, Papal States Naturalist, patriot
4 Costantino Nigra
(1828–1907)		 October 8, 1861 January 31, 1862 Castelnuovo, Piedmont-Sardinia Italy Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1885–1887)
5 Filippo Cordova
(1811–1868)		 March 1, 1862 August 6, 1863 Aidone, Kingdom of Naples Minister of Justice (1862)
6 Celestino Peroglio
(1824–1909)		 August 6, 1863 May 24, 1864 Palestro, Lombardy-Venetia Teacher
7 Giuseppe Garibaldi
(1807–1882)		 May 24, 1864 August 8, 1864 Nice, Piedmont-Sardinia Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1861–1882)
8 Francesco De Luca
(1811–1875)		 September 1864 June 20, 1867 Cardinale, Kingdom of Naples Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1861–1874)
Filippo Cordova
(1811–1868)		 June 21, 1867 August 2, 1867 Aidone, Kingdom of Naples Minister of Justice (1867)
9 Lodovico Frapolli
(1815–1878)		 August 2, 1867 September 7, 1870 Milan, Lombardy-Venetia Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1860–1874)
10 Giuseppe Mazzoni
(1808–1880)		 September 7, 1870 May 11, 1880 † Prato, Tuscany Founder of P2; Senator of the Kingdom (1876–1880)
11 Giuseppe Petroni
(1812–1888)		 May 12, 1880 January 16, 1885 Bologna, Papal States Lawyer
12 Adriano Lemmi
(1822–1906)		 January 17, 1885 May 31, 1896 Livorno, Tuscany Banker, businessman
13 Ernesto Nathan
(1845–1921)		 June 1, 1896 February 14, 1904 London, UK Co-founder of Dante Alighieri Society; later Mayor of Rome (1907–1913)
14 Ettore Ferrari
(1845–1929)		 February 15, 1904 November 25, 1917 Rome, Papal States Sculptor
Ernesto Nathan
(1845–1921)		 November 26, 1917 June 22, 1919 London, UK Co-founder of Dante Alighieri Society; later Mayor of Rome (1907–1913)
15 Domizio Torrigiani
(1876–1932)		 June 23, 1919 23 aprile 1927 Lamporecchio, Italy Lawyer
/ Eugenio Chiesa
(1863–1930)		 January 12, 1930 June 22, 1930 † Milan, Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1904–1929)
/ Arturo Labriola
(1873–1959)		 June 23, 1930 November 29, 1931 Naples, Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1913–1929)
16 Alessandro Tedeschi
(1867–1940)		 32 August 1932 August 19, 1940 † Livorno, Italy Surgeon
17 Davide Augusto Albarin
(1881–1959)		 August 19, 1940 June 10, 1944 Paris, French Empire Anti-fascist activist
18 Guido Laj
(1880–1948)		 September 18, 1945 November 5, 1948 † Messina, Italy Journalist, politician
19 Ugo Lenzi
(1875–1953)		 March 19, 1949 April 21, 1953 † Bologna, Italy Lawyer
20 Publio Cortini
(1895–1969)		 October 4, 1953 September 27, 1956 Rome, Italy Businessman, engineer
21 Umberto Cipollone
(1883–1960)		 November 30, 1957 May 28, 1960 † Lanciano, Italy Lawyer
22 Giorgio Tron
(1884–1963)		 May 29, 1960 April 28, 1961 Villar Pellice, Italy Surgeon
23 Giordano Gamberini
(1915–2003)		 July 17, 1961 March 21, 1970 Ravenna, Italy Writer, politician
24 Lino Salvini
(1925–1982)		 March 22, 1970 November 18, 1978 Florence, Italy Writer, politician
25 Ennio Battelli
(1919–1984)		 November 18, 1978 March 27, 1982 Urbino, Italy Businessman, military officer
26 Armando Corona
(1921–2009)		 March 28, 1982 March 10, 1990 Villaputzu, Italy Businessman, politician
27 Giuliano Di Bernardo
(1939–)		 March 11, 1990 April 16, 1993 Penne, Italy Philosopher, writer
28 Virgilio Gaito
(1930–)		 December 18, 1993 March 21, 1999 Naples, Italy Lawyer
29 Gustavo Raffi
(1944–)		 March 21, 1999 April 6, 2014 Bagnacavallo, Italy Lawyer
30 Stefano Bisi
(1957–)		 April 6, 2014 Incumbent Siena, Italy Journalist, writer

References
  1. "Nel 1805 fu costituito il Grande Oriente d’Italia." Tran. "In 1805 the Grand Orient of Italy was founded." La storia 1805–1860 Archived December 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, from the GOI Official website
  2. Headquarters detailed.
  3. See section "Government", on GOI about us page.
  4. See Members & Lodges.
  5. Ponziano, Giorgio (March 30, 2012). "Tremila massoni al Palacongresso" [Three thousand Masons at Palacongresso]. Italia Oggi (in Italian). Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  6. Garibaldi — the mason Translated from Giuseppe Garibaldi Massone by the Grand Orient of Italy
  7. Entry "Giuseppe Mazzini" in Volume III K – P of 10,000 Famous Freemasons, William R. Denslow, 1957, Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc.
  8. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Nathan, Ernesto" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 31 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. p. 1059.
  9. Centuries of Secrecy, Time, June 8, 1981
  10. What was the P2 Lodge?, Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) UGLE: Recognised Grand Lodges in Europe
  12. "Grand Lodge of Albania is recognised". United Grand Lodge of England. Retrieved April 3, 2018. UGLE...has publicly stated that it accepts the Grand Orient's regularity of origin...

Bibliography
  • Enrico Simoni, Bibliografia della Massoneria in Italia, Foggia, Edizioni Bastogi, 1° volume 1992 (3471 schede), 2° volume 1993 (indici sistematici degli articoli delle Riviste massoniche del dopoguerra; 3762 schede), 1° volume di aggiornamento 1997 (schede da 3472 a 4584), 3° volume 2006 (indici sistematici degli articoli della "Rivista della Massoneria Italiana" e della "Rivista Massonica"; 1870–1926; 6478 schede), 2° volume di aggiornamento 2010 (schede da 4585 a 6648)

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