The Grand Priory of the Gauls is a Masonic Grand Lodge founded on March 23, 1935, originally named the Great Directory of the Gauls. Initiated by French Freemasons, particularly Dr. Camille Savoire, its goal was to revive the Rectified Scottish Rite, which had declined in France since the 1830s. The foundation followed unsuccessful efforts to establish an autonomous jurisdiction within the Grand Orient de France.
Amid a period when French Freemasonry was closely linked to political and social issues during the Third Republic, the new organization aimed to create a less politicized environment. It emphasized spiritual openness, avoided political and religious debates in lodge work, and sought to reestablish ties with “regular” Freemasonry. Camille Savoire and Édouard de Ribaucourt pursued different strategies to reach these objectives.
Despite its initial efforts, the organization struggled to gain a foothold, especially after being suspended during World War II. Its postwar reactivation did not lead to widespread recognition within French Freemasonry.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the Grand Priory underwent significant changes, expanding its membership and structure. These developments led to doctrinal disagreements, resulting in splits and the formation of other obediences practicing the Rectified Scottish Rite. From 1958 to 2000, it served as a high-degree body for the French National Grand Lodge. Over time, it evolved into a plural Christian order, incorporating other Masonic and chivalric rites from Anglo-Saxon traditions.
Renaming itself to include “Ordres unis,” it adopted the title Ordre des francs-maçons et chevaliers chrétiens de France. In 2006, it formalized its constitution on the principles of belief in God, adherence to the Christian faith, and oaths based on the Gospel of John.
Historical background
Extinction of the Rectified Scottish Rite in France
The Wilhelmsbad Convent of 1782, which established the Rectified Scottish Rite (RER), had limited impact in France. By 1786, only the regions of Lyon and Alsace had a small number of Freemasons practicing the Rite, and relations between them were strained. The French Revolution subsequently halted all Masonic activities.
By 1797, Jean-Baptiste Willermoz, then nearly 70, remained virtually the sole French practitioner of the RER. Efforts to revive the Rite under the First Empire and up to 1843 led to the formation and reactivation of various lodges and directorates, but none achieved lasting establishment in France. Willermoz observed a “general chill” toward the Rite by 1820, and his death at age 94 marked a symbolic end to its presence in the country.
However, the RER continued in Switzerland, maintained by the Independent Grand Priory of Helvetia in Basel. By the early 1820s, approximately ten Swiss lodges practiced the Rite, including the “Union des Cœurs” lodge in Geneva, which later provided Camille Savoire and Édouard de Ribaucourt with the necessary rituals in 1910.
Masonic landscape under the Third Republic
During the French Third Republic, Freemasonry played a prominent role in political and social affairs. Closely aligned with the Radical Party, many Freemasons were actively involved in public life and contributed to shaping Republican ideology. Often referred to as the “Church of the Republic,” Freemasonry held significant influence and enjoyed broad electoral support. The Masonic landscape was marked by two major, closely linked but competing obediences, along with smaller groups that emerged from ideological splits, often reflecting more traditional or spiritual perspectives.
Committed to secularism, French Freemasonry opposed clericalism and supported Republican policies promoting secular education and the separation of church and state. Its stance evolved over time—from pacifism before First World War, to supporting national unity during the war, and later defending secular values between 1920 and 1924. It also supported the League of Nations before shifting focus back to symbolic and initiatory practices following the League’s decline.
The main obediences practiced distinct rites: the Grand Orient de France followed the French Rite, while the Supreme Council of France and the Grande Loge de France, established in 1904, practiced the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. In 1877, the Grand Orient de France removed the requirement to believe in God, prompting the United Grand Lodge of England to declare itself the sole authority on “Regular Masonic jurisdiction,” which led to the isolation of French and other European liberal obediences from Anglo-Saxon Freemasonry.
Great Directory of the Gauls / Grand Priory of the Gauls
Terminology At its founding in 1935, the organization was officially named the Great Directory of the Gauls, as stated in the letters patent issued by the Independent Grand Priory of Helvetia (GPIH). However, the names Independent Grand Priory of the Gauls and Grand Priory of the Gauls quickly appeared in correspondence between the two bodies.
The convocation dated March 23, 1935, outlined the revival and installation of a “prefecture” in Paris and the issuance of letters patent authorizing the creation of workshops under the Rectified Scottish Rite and the organization of the Grand Priory of the Gauls.
In 1936, a treaty of friendship formalized the relationship between the GPIH and the Great Directory. Camille Savoire signed the agreement as Grand Prior, representing the Independent Grand Priory of the Gauls. After the original patents were lost, Julien Ribesky, Savoire's successor, requested an ampliation, which the GPIH granted, confirming that no changes had affected the legitimacy of the Grand Priory’s authority since its founding and the resumption of its activities in 1947.
Despite the original name, historians of Freemasonry consistently refer to the organization as the Grand Priory of the Gauls when discussing this period.
1910 - 1935: revival of the Rectified Scottish Rite Camille Savoire and Édouard de Ribaucourt,Another Freemason, Gustave Bastard, took part in these early actions, but left few Masonic traces. Freemasons affiliated with the Grand Orient de France (GODF), sought to establish a Masonic space within France that could reconnect with foreign obediences. These international ties had been largely severed after the 1877 GODF convention removed the requirement to believe in God, distancing French Freemasonry from Anglo-Saxon obediences and contributing to its international isolation. The initiative also aimed to retain members opposed to political activism and attract new intellectual and social elites who were disillusioned by the politicization of certain Masonic circles.
Drawing on contacts developed through European travels and professional engagements, Savoire approached the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland, which maintained recognition and preserved the Christian-based Rectified Scottish Rite (RER). Through this connection, Savoire, Ribaucourt, and Gustave Bastard were initiated into the grade of Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte,By “equivalence” of rank from the 33º degree of the REAA for Savoire, even though Ribaucourt is only 31º and Bastard 30º. the highest degree of the RER, on June 9, 1910. Two days later, the Independent Grand Priory of Helvetia (GPIH) established a commandery of the RER in Paris and issued letters patent to authorize its reactivation in France.
Upon returning to France, they reactivated the lodge Le Centre des Amis, the last Parisian lodge to have practiced the RER in the 19th century. Although initially rejected by the GODF’s Order Council, the proposal was later accepted following discussions with the GPIH. The council approved the revival of Le Centre des Amis and authorized its operation under the Rectified Scottish Rite.The lodge is symbolically constituted in the French Rite and the Rectified Scottish Rite. A treaty of alliance and friendship between the GODF and GPIH was signed in Paris and Geneva on April 15 and 18, 1911. The lodge was formally installed on April 28, 1911, by Gaston Bouley, President of the GODF Order Council, with Édouard de Ribaucourt as its first Worshipful Master.
Édouard de Ribaucourt: the choice of the United Grand Lodge of England
In the months following its reactivation, Le Centre des Amis operated without conflict. By 1911, the lodge had 32 members, adhered to the rules of the Grand Orient de France (GODF), and did not conflict with the principle of absolute freedom of conscience. However, in 1913, tensions emerged over the Rectified Scottish Rite (RER) rituals. The GODF’s Council of the Order handed the rituals to the lodge, but omitted references to the “Great Architect of the Universe,” and associated invocations.
At the GODF convent on September 16, 1913, Édouard de Ribaucourt proposed reinstating the use of the “Great Architect” formula.The change only concerns the 4th degree ritual. He argued that these invocations, arranged by former Grand Commander Antoine Blatin, were compatible with freedom of conscience. His speech concluded with an implicit warning that he would leave the obedience if the request was denied. The proposal was rejected due to its explicitly religious language and perceived incompatibility with the GODF's secular principles.
Following the rejection, de Ribaucourt left the GODF and, through Swiss Freemason Gleward Roehrich—a former Grand Officer of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE)—sought recognition for a new Masonic body: the “Independent and Regular Grand Lodge for France.” UGLE granted recognition on November 20. De Ribaucourt, serving as First Grand Master, announced the recognition at a Centre des Amis meeting on December 9.
Despite this success, few lodges joined the new obedience. The obedience primarily attracted English-speaking Freemasons in France, who formed lodges practicing the Emulation Rite in English. As a result, the RER became marginal, and the group was often referred to as the “English Grand Lodge of France.” At the time of de Ribaucourt's death, only one lodge continued to work the RER within the obedience, reflecting its limited impact.
Camille Savoire remained with the GODF and continued his Masonic involvement through the Grand College of Rites.
1936 - 1947: Camille Savoire and the Grand Directoire des Gaules
On September 15, 1923, Camille Savoire became Grand Commander of the Grand College of Rites of the Grand Orient de France, a position he held until 1935. During his tenure, he reorganized the institution and launched the Bulletin du Grand Collège des Rites, first published annually and later biennially. The publication served as a comprehensive record of the work conducted by the chapters and areopagi.
Under his leadership, several lodges were authorized by the GODF’s Council of the Order to practice both the French and Rectified Scottish Rites in cities including Le Touquet, Rouen, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Montpellier. He also consecrated a 4th-grade lodge in Bordeaux based on the “La Concorde” lodge.
On September 16, 1933, Savoire led the Grand College of Rites to establish a section of the Great Directory of the Rectified Scottish Rite, assuming the role of Grand Prior. In collaboration with Arthur Groussier, President of the Council of the Order, he supported a treaty to create a Grand Directoire des rites autonomes, a high-degree jurisdiction. Savoire also proposed a national unification of high-grade Masonic bodies through the establishment of a Grand Priory to oversee the Rectified Rite. However, these proposals were rejected at the 1934 GODF convent, and Savoire faced strong opposition. This marked the end of his efforts to develop the Rectified Rite within the GODF.