Grand Orient of Italy
The Grand Orient of Italy (Grande Oriente d’Italia, GOI) is the oldest Masonic obedience in Italy, constituted as an institution that groups and coordinates Masonic lodges within the national territory. With its current headquarters at Villa «Il Vascello» on the Janiculum Hill in Rome, the GOI had over 23,000 members distributed across more than 860 lodges in 2018, with an average age of about forty years. Its history, spanning more than two centuries, intertwines with the processes of national unification, tensions between the State and the Catholic Church, and the political controversies that have marked Italian public life.
Origin and Foundation
The founding of the Grand Orient of Italy dates back to 1805, in the context of Napoleonic domination of the Italian peninsula. Following the conquest of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte, this first Masonic obedience was established, which nevertheless experienced a decline after the fall of the Napoleonic Empire. The revival of the GOI took place in 1859, starting from the «Ausonia» lodge in Turin, within the framework of the Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement. This stage was marked by the participation of prominent figures of the unification process: in 1864, Giuseppe Garibaldi was named «first mason of Italy ad vitam», symbolically linking the institution to the national cause.
After the capture of Rome in 1870 (an event known as Porta Pia), the GOI moved its headquarters to the capital, consolidating its presence in the political center of the new Kingdom of Italy. Between 1871 and 1872, the Supreme Councils of Naples and Palermo converged into the Supreme Council of Rome, unifying the Masonic structures of the south and the center-north of the country.
Historical Development and Political Orientation
During the last decades of the 19th century and the early 20th century, the Grand Orient of Italy adopted a markedly radical and anticlerical orientation. In 1904, Ettore Ferrari, a sculptor and republican politician, was elected Grand Master, under whose leadership the obedience positioned itself firmly against the influence of the Catholic Church in public life. In 1908, Ferrari’s proposal to punish masons who had not voted for the Bissolati motion (regarding religious education) caused a split: a dissident group, led by the Protestant pastor Saverio Fera, created a new obedience.
The relationship with fascism was complex. Before the March on Rome in 1922, prominent masons, including Edmondo Rossoni and Araldo di Crollalanza, supported Benito Mussolini’s movement. However, once in power, the fascist regime considered Freemasonry an organization incompatible with its principles. In 1925, Mussolini decreed the suppression of Freemasonry in Italy, confiscating the GOI’s assets and forcing its members into clandestinity. The obedience remained inactive until the end of World War II, when it was restored.
Grand Masters
The list of Grand Masters of the Grand Orient of Italy reflects the evolution of the institution over two centuries. Among the most prominent are:
- Eugène de Beauharnais (1805-1814), Viceroy of Italy during the Napoleonic period.
- Giuseppe Garibaldi (1864), hero of the Risorgimento, appointed honorary Grand Master.
- Adriano Lemmi (1885-1896), banker and politician, who promoted the expansion of the obedience.
- Ernesto Nathan (1896-1904), mayor of Rome of English origin.
- Ettore Ferrari (1904-1917), sculptor and republican deputy.
- Domizio Torrigiani (1917-1925), last Grand Master before the fascist suppression.
- Giordano Gamberini (1953-1959), promoter of post-war reconstruction.
- Armando Corona (1982-1990), during whose mandate the scandal of the Propaganda 2 lodge erupted.
- Gustavo Raffi (1999-2014), who promoted dialogue with the Catholic Church.
- Stefano Bisi (2014-2024), Grand Master.
Regularity and International Recognition
The relationship of the Grand Orient of Italy with the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), the main reference for regular Freemasonry worldwide, has undergone significant changes. In 1972, the GOI obtained recognition from the UGLE, which allowed it to maintain fraternal relations with the majority of regular obediences in the world. However, in 1993, the UGLE withdrew this recognition due to accusations of corruption and alleged ties with the mafia that affected the institution.
After decades of efforts to regain regularity, in March 2023, the UGLE agreed to re-recognize the Grand Orient of Italy, together with the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy, thus restoring its status within the international Masonic community.
Controversies
The history of the GOI has been marked by two major controversies. The first, and best known, is the scandal of the Propaganda 2 (P2) lodge. This lodge, operating under the jurisdiction of the GOI, was led by Licio Gelli, who turned it into a secret organization with ramifications in the Italian political, financial, and military worlds. In 1974, the Grand Orient revoked the charter of the P2 lodge, but the scandal erupted in 1981, when the existence of a list of affiliates including high-ranking state officials, military personnel, and businessmen was discovered. The P2 case caused an institutional crisis in Italy and severely damaged the reputation of Italian Freemasonry.
The second controversy concerns the accusations of corruption and ties with the mafia that led to the withdrawal of recognition by the UGLE in 1993. Although the GOI has always denied these accusations, the stigma affected its international relations for three decades.
Relations with the Catholic Church
Historically, the Grand Orient of Italy maintained a position of firm anticlericalism, especially during the leadership of Ettore Ferrari, which coincided with the confrontation between the liberal Italian state and the Holy See after unification. However, in recent decades, gestures of rapprochement have occurred. In 2013, Grand Master Gustavo Raffi sent greetings to Pope Francis on the occasion of his election, a gesture interpreted as an attempt to overcome the secular tensions between Freemasonry and the Catholic Church.
Headquarters
The historic headquarters of the Grand Orient of Italy was the Palazzo Giustiniani in Rome, inaugurated on April 21, 1901, and acquired as property in 1911. This building housed the institution until 1985, when it was sold to the Senate of the Italian Republic. Since then, the GOI headquarters has been located at Villa «Il Vascello» on the Janiculum Hill, a building previously used as a hospital, which the obedience adapted for its institutional purposes.
Context and Significance
Within the international Masonic panorama, the Grand Orient of Italy represents one of the oldest obediences with the deepest historical roots in a country of Catholic tradition. Its trajectory reflects the tensions between the secular state and the Church, the role of Freemasonry in the processes of national unification, and the challenges of Masonic regularity in a context of political controversies. Despite the scandals that have marked its history, the GOI continues to be the main Italian Masonic obedience, recognized by the majority of regular jurisdictions worldwide and with an active presence in the cultural and social life of the country.
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