Origins of the name and foundation (1698–1731),
Grand Master of all Freemasons in France in 1728 , Grand Master of the Grande Loge de France from 1743 to 1771, portrayed by
François-Hubert Drouais. The name
Grande Loge de France was used by the first French Masonic grand body of which the oldest records are dated 14 May 1737. However, it dates back to 1728 when French Masons had decided to recognize
Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton—who lived in
Paris and
Lyon in 1728 and 1729 and who had been
Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of London and Westminster in 1723—as
Grand Master of all Freemasons in France. Two other jacobite Grand Masters succeeded him: James Hector MacLean (1703-1750) and
Charles Radclyffe, Count of Derwentwater (1693-1746), elected Grand Master of the Order of Free Masons in the Kingdom of France on 27 December 1746. In December 1736, Chevalier
Andrew Michael Ramsay (1686-1743) delivered a reception discourse elaborating on what could be a connection between Freemasonry and the
Crusader knights. This discourse had a great influence on the development of several side Degrees over the period 1740-1770 in France. In the 1738 version, ''
Anderson's Constitutions'' mention the existence of a Grand Master and Lodges in France and defined them to be equal to the Lodges of York, Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. Following the death of the Grand Master of all Regular Lodges in France
Louis de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Duke of Antin, his successor
Louis, Count of Clermont (1709-1771), blood Prince
Bourbon-Condé and future member of the
Académie Française was elected on 11 December 1743. In the following years, many additional "Scottish" High Degrees are redacted in France. They were put in practise in Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille. The Grande Loge de France did not take part in their development but recognized them as of 4 July 1755 in its General Bylaws, thus acknowledging different privileges to Scottish Masters. In 1773, a large number of Grande Loge de France Lodges gave themselves a new set of Statutes which lead to the creation the Grand Orient de France. Nevertheless, several Parisian Masters and several provincial Lodges objected to these new Statutes, and more particularly to the article which stipulated that Masters must be elected by the free-choice of their Lodge. As a result, they decided to pursue working under the name Grande Loge de Clermont, named after the
Grand Master who had died in 1771. The
French Revolution forced the Grande Loge de Clermont to suspend its activities in November 1792. After
the Terror, they will resume on 17 October 1796, with only 10 Lodges in Paris and 8 in the provinces. The Grand Orient de France had its number of Lodges also drastically reduced over that period. It was able to resume its activities a bit later, on 24 February 1797. Alexandre Roëttiers de Montaleau was appointed Great Worshipful Master to operate the merger between the Grande Loge de Clermont and the Grand Orient de France on 10 June 1799. Pursuing its path for reformation, the Grand Orient de France then reorganized its system of High Degrees of the French Rite, defined in seven degrees. In its general circular dated 12 November 1802, the Grand Orient de France prohibited the practice of any other system of High Degrees to all its member Lodges. , Sovereign Grand Commander of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in
France from 1806 to 1821 , here in 1859 , thrice Grand Master of the Grande Loge de France
The Scottish Rite in France between 1804 and 1894 In 1804,
Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse, Count de Grasse-Tilly recently arrived in Paris brought news of the birth of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in the United States in 1801, the Rite being based on the Scottish Degrees originating from
French Antilles. He received a warm welcome from brethren and founded on 22 September 1804 the first continental Supreme Council of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The same enhanced the transformation of Lodges recently aggregated around « Saint-Alexandre d’Écosse » into a new symbolic Obedience in charge of the first three symbolic Degrees: the
Grande Loge Générale Ecossaise. The « Grande Loge Générale Ecossaise » elected Prince
Louis Bonaparte as its first Grand Master. However,
Napoléon I, Emperor of the French imposed its merger with the Grand Orient de France on 5 December 1804 under the authority of
Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès. The vocabulary applicable to Freemasonry in France evolved at that time:
Scottish Lodge which characterised High Degrees became of use to define all Lodges not pertaining to the French Rite. Elements from the
Grande Loge des Anciens founded in England in 1751 rooted the first Three Degrees of the Rite in 1804. Its completion was reached in 1821 with the publishing of the
Guide des Macons Ecossais. It was enacted by the who then administered the 33 Degrees of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. In 1838, the
Élie, duc Decazes is appointed Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Conseil de France: he will occupy the charge until 1860. In 1862,
Napoléon III personally appointed
Bernard Pierre Magnan Marshall of France to be the successor of Prince
Lucien Murat as Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France.
Bernard Pierre Magnan intended to impose the reunification of all Rites then practised in France within the Grand Orient de France. He failed to do so due to the valiant opposition of
Jean-Pons-Guillaume Viennet, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Suprême Conseil de France from 1860 to 1868.
Recent history The current Grande Loge de France (G∴L∴D∴F∴) was revived in 1894 when the Scottish Rite masonic streams were unified. In 1904, privileges to fully administrate the first Three Degrees of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite were delegated by the Suprême Conseil de France. The first Constitution of the revived Grande Loge de France - based on the Declaration of Principles from the Convent of Lausanne of 1875 - defined Freemasonry as a "universal alliance based on solidarity" aiming at the
promotion of emancipatory evolution of Humanity. In the early 20th century, the Grande Loge de France grew from 3,000 members in 1894 to 8,400 in 1912. In 1914, it accounted with 149 Lodges. Some of these Lodges were specifically centered on the study of
symbolism: the
Anglo-Saxon Lodge as well
Thebah, Lodge of which
René Guénon was a member. In 1911, Grande Loge de France purchased a former franciscan monastery at 8 rue Puteaux in Paris 17th district to establish its current Headquarters. During the First World War and even though activity was reduced, an International Conference was held in January 1917 between Obediences from France, Belgium, Italy and Serbia. The creation of the
League of Nations was favourably voted on that occasion. An exceptional Convent was held on 30 and 31 January 1926 with the purpose of fighting fascism. In June 1940, the archives of Grande Loge de France were seized by the Gestapo and the german authorities occupied the building of 8 rue Puteaux. However, the Scottish Freemasonry tried to survive in the clandestinity imposed by wartimes, but and following the Principles that had been edicted by the Grand Master Dumesnil de Gramont at the end of 1940. At the time of the
Libération and due to the deaths of many members in Deportation, the Grande Loge de France resumed its works with only 3,600 brethren. It focused on its works and the initiatory and symbolic dimensions of traditional Freemasonry. In December 1948, a major Temple of the Grande Loge de France Headquarters was named in honor of Brother
Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was inaugurated by
Eleanor Roosevelt in person. In the 1960s and 1970s its Grand Master, Doctor played a key role in the elaboration of the law on contraception presented to Parliament by
Simone Veil in 1975. During the second half of the 20th century, Grande Loge de France has steadily grown from 438 Lodges and 17,500 members in 1989 to 640 Lodges and 25,000 members in 1998. As of 2020 it accounts with 930 Lodges and over 33,000 members. The Grande Loge de France works the first three Degrees of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (A&ASR). ==Principles and governance==