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TheSerene Grand Lodge of Greece is a MasonicGrand Lodge inGreece. The name was originally used by an organisation which existed from 1815 to 1843. After that time theGrand Lodge of Greece took its place. The present organisation under the name of the Serene Grand Lodge of Greece was refounded in 1986 by former members of the Grand Lodge. Today, they are firmly associated withLiberal Freemasonry, belonging toISMAP and nowCLIPSAS.
Freemasonry in Greece originated at the end of the 18th century on theIonian Islands. At the time they wereruled by Venice and atCorfu in 1782 theLoggia Beneficenza was founded practicing theRectified Scottish Rite, under the jurisdiction ofVerona. Freemasonry was suppressed in 1785 in Venice and the Lodge closed. AfterNapoleon Bonaparte conquered theVenetian Empire, the lodge was revived in 1797 inCorcyre, until 1800 when theRussian Empire established theSeptinsular Republic and suppressed Freemasonry. After theTreaty of Tilsit, the islands fell un der theFirst French Empire and thus Freemasonry was revived again. Two lodges in Corfu were merged asBeneficenza-Filogenia Riunite.
The leader of this lodge,Count Dionisios Romas, was keen to establish recognition. First, on 21 November 1811, he applied to theGrand Orient de France to make it a Provincial Mother Lodge. This was accepted and new lodges sprung up. A new political reality emerged in 1815, when theUnited States of the Ionian Islands was established under the protection of theBritish Empire. At this time, Romas renamed the lodge the Serene Grand Lodge of Greece and eventually lodges were formed atZante,Cephalonia,Lefkas andPatras. Roma decided to ask his friend,Augustus, Duke of Sussex, who was then the Grand Master of theUnited Grand Lodge of England, if he would become the Grand Master. Politically, Romas was hoping to get the British onside for the liberation of Greece from theOttoman Empire (on the eve of theGreek War of Independence).[1]
