From the Quarries

This lecture explores the history of Freemasonry in Russia, from its first appearance in the eighteenth century to its re-establishment in the late twentieth century.

We trace the earliest lodges under Peter the Great’s successors, the flourishing of the Craft under Catherine II, and the dramatic suppression of Nikolai Novikov’s publishing empire. We follow the revival under Alexander I and the creation of the Grand Lodge Astrea, the influence of Freemasonry on the Decembrists, and the long prohibition that followed. The narrative continues through the cultural afterlife of Masonry in the works of Tolstoy, the politicisation of the Craft during the revolution of 1905, its disappearance under Soviet rule, and its eventual rebirth in 1995 with the consecration of the Grand Lodge of Russia, today recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England.

This is a story of repeated cycles of growth, suppression, silence, and renewal — and of Freemasonry’s enduring place in Russian cultural and political history.