The Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) () is an Italian masonic grand lodge founded in 1805; the viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais was instrumental in its establishment."Nel 1805 fu costituito il Grande Oriente d’Italia." Tran. "In 1805 the Grand Orient of Italy was founded." La storia 1805–1860 , from the GOI Official website It was based at the Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome, Italy from 1901 until 1985 and is now located at the .Headquarters detailed. Its current Grand Master is Stefano Bisi.See section "Government", on GOI about us page.

the Grand Orient had 22,675 members in 842 lodges,See Members & Lodges. a significant growth over the preceding three-year period.

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: Giuseppe Garibaldi,Garibaldi — the mason Translated from Giuseppe Garibaldi Massone by the Grand Orient of Italy Adriano Lemmi, 1885–96Aldo Alessandro Mola "Masons in Italy: The Borderland Between Fanaticism and Liberty". Revista de Estudios Históricos de la Masonería Latinoamericana y Caribeña (REHMLAC). ISSN 1659-4223. p. 233 Sculptor Ettore Ferrari,Entry "Giuseppe Mazzini" in Volume III K – P of 10,000 Famous Freemasons, William R. Denslow, 1957, Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc. Mayor of Rome Ernesto Nathan

Freemasonry was suppressed by Mussolini in 1925, being restarted after the Second World War.Centuries of Secrecy, Time, 8 June 1981 Nevertheless, many people connected with the Italian Fascism were Freemasons: Edmondo Rossoni, Araldo di Crollalanza, Alfredo De Marsico, Peppino Caradonna, Bernardo Barbiellini Amidei, Aldo Finzi, Balbino Giuliano e Costanzo Ciano, father of Galeazzo, Alberto Beneduce, Giacomo Acerbo, Ezio Maria Gray, and Armando Casalini, among others.. See also the researches of w:it:Vittorio Occorsio

In 2013, Gustavo Raffi, the then Gran Master of the Grand Orient of Italy, addressed special warm greetings to Pope Francis for his election, signing a new period of reconciliation between Freemasonry and the Roman Catholic Church.When I read the warm greeting from Gustavo Raffi, the grand master of the Grand Orient of Italy, in 2013, I was certain that, more than a "welcome" to Pope Bergoglio [...], it was a "good riddance" to Pope Ratzinger! Leggendo nel 2013 il caloroso saluto di Gustavo Raffi, il gran maestro del Grande Oriente d'Italia, fui certo che, più di un "benvenuto" a Papa Bergoglio [...], si trattasse di un "benservito" a Papa Ratzinger! Georg Gänswein. As quoted in Marco Grieco, È uscito Nient’altro che la verità: la resa dei conti di padre Georg, vanityfair.it (12 January 2023)

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 UGLE.What was the P2 Lodge?, Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon However, this recognition was withdrawn in 1993, due to accusations of corruption and Mafia involvement. For thirty years, the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy was the only Italian Grand Lodge recognised by UGLE or the other home constitutions of Ireland and Scotland. UGLE: Recognised Grand Lodges in Europe However, the Grand Orient continued to be recognised by a large majority of the other regular masonic jurisdictions, both in Europe and worldwide.

This situation was highly unusual, in that most regular authorities recognised the Grand Orient, but its status was 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 publicly stated that the Grand Orient of Italy was regular in both origins and practices, but that it must (at that time) remain unrecognised due to the issues surrounding alleged corruption.

However, this position was rectified in March 2023, when the United Grand Lodge of England agreed to re-recognise the Grand Orient of Italy alongside the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy. UGLE: Recognised Grand Lodges in Europe

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.

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.

# Name Term Origin Occupation 1 Eugène de Beauharnais 1805 1814 Paris, France Viceroy of Italy (1805–1814) Lodge suppressed 2 Filippo Delpino 20 December 1859 20 May 1860 † Genoa, Piedmont-Sardinia Patriot 3 Livio Zambeccari 21 May 1860 3 October 1861 Bologna, Papal States Naturalist, patriot 4 Costantino Nigra 8 October 1861 31 January 1862 Castelnuovo, Piedmont-Sardinia Italian Ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1885–1887) 5 Filippo Cordova 1 March 1862 6 August 1863 Aidone, Kingdom of Naples Minister of Justice (1862) 6 Celestino Peroglio 6 August 1863 24 May 1864 Palestro, Lombardy–Venetia Teacher 7 Giuseppe Garibaldi 24 May 1864 8 August 1864 Nice, Piedmont-Sardinia Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1861–1882) 8 Francesco De Luca September 1864 20 June 1867 Cardinale, Kingdom of Naples Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1861–1874) Filippo Cordova 21 June 1867 2 August 1867 Aidone, Kingdom of Naples Minister of Justice (1867) 9 Lodovico Frapolli 2 August 1867 7 September 1870 Milan, Lombardy–Venetia Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1860–1874) 10 Giuseppe Mazzoni 7 September 1870 11 May 1880 † Prato, Tuscany Founder of P2; Senator of the Kingdom (1876–1880) 11 Giuseppe Petroni 12 May 1880 16 January 1885 Bologna, Papal States Lawyer 12 Adriano Lemmi 17 January 1885 31 May 1896 Livorno, Tuscany Banker, businessman 13 Ernesto Nathan 1 June 1896 14 February 1904 London, UK Co-founder of Dante Alighieri Society; later Mayor of Rome (1907–1913) 14 Ettore Ferrari 15 February 1904 25 November 1917 Rome, Papal States Sculptor Ernesto Nathan 26 November 1917 22 June 1919 London, UK Co-founder of Dante Alighieri Society; later Mayor of Rome (1907–1913) 15 Domizio Torrigiani 23 June 1919 23 April 1927 Lamporecchio, Italy Lawyer / Eugenio Chiesa 12 January 1930 22 June 1930 † Milan, Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1904–1929) / Arturo Labriola 23 June 1930 29 November 1931 Naples, Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1913–1929) 16 Alessandro Tedeschi 32 August 1932 19 August 1940 † Livorno, Italy Surgeon 17 Davide Augusto Albarin 19 August 1940 10 June 1944 Paris, French Empire Anti-fascist activist 18 Guido Laj 18 September 1945 5 November 1948 † Messina, Italy Journalist, politician 19 Ugo Lenzi 19 March 1949 21 April 1953 † Bologna, Italy Lawyer 20 Publio Cortini 4 October 1953 27 September 1956 Rome, Italy Businessman, engineer 21 Umberto Cipollone 30 November 1957 28 May 1960 † Lanciano, Italy Lawyer 22 Giorgio Tron 29 May 1960 28 April 1961 Villar Pellice, Italy Surgeon 23 Giordano Gamberini 17 July 1961 21 March 1970 Ravenna, Italy Writer, politician 24 Lino Salvini 22 March 1970 18 November 1978 Florence, Italy Writer, politician 25 Ennio Battelli 18 November 1978 27 March 1982 Urbino, Italy Businessman, military officer 26 Armando Corona 28 March 1982 10 March 1990 Villaputzu, Italy Businessman, politician 27 Giuliano Di Bernardo 11 March 1990 16 April 1993 Penne, Italy Philosopher, writer 28 Virgilio Gaito 18 December 1993 21 March 1999 Naples, Italy Lawyer 29 Gustavo Raffi 21 March 1999 6 April 2014 Bagnacavallo, Italy Lawyer 30 Stefano Bisi 6 April 2014 6 April 2024 Siena, Italy Journalist, writer 31 Antonio Seminario 6 April 2024 "incumbent" Crosia, Italy Businessman

References

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) Awards and recognitions On 22 February 2020, the Grand Orient of Italy received the International Award "Leonardo The Immortal Light" in the Semiotics section, a recognition promoted by the International Committee Leonardo da Vinci. The award was presented during an official ceremony held in Sesto San Giovanni. External links

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