In the period between 1389 and 1526, with the advance of the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans, medieval Serbia fell under Turkish rule. From 1699 to 1739, and later during the 18th century, present-day Serbia was divided between the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman Empires. From the beginning of the 19th century the struggle for an independent Serbia began, but the rivers Danube and Sava remained the southern border of the Habsburg Empire until 1918.
Because of such a division, the beginning and development of Freemasonry during the 18th and 19th centuries on the soil of present-day Serbia must be viewed separately — for the regions north and south of the Danube and Sava rivers. This duality existed until 1918, when the unification took place of Vojvodina, to the north, and the Kingdom of Serbia — the part of Serbia south of these two rivers — followed by the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Let us not forget that the first — the “Mother Grand Lodge” of all Freemasons of the world, the Grand Lodge of England — was founded in 1717 in London.
Already during the reign of Joseph II of Habsburg, in 1785, the first Lodge on the soil of present-day Serbia was founded in Petrovaradin, under the name “Probitas”. Distinguished members of the Lodge “Vigilantia” in Osijek at that time were Bishop Josif Jovanović Šakabenta and, later, Metropolitan Stefan Stratimirović.
In the other, southern part of present-day Serbia, during the reign of the Turkish Sultan Selim III, a Turkish-Serbian Lodge operated in Belgrade from 1790. Little is known of its name and work, but it is known that its eminent members were the Metropolitan of Belgrade Metodije, Petar Ičko, Prince Aleksa Nenadović and Janko Katić. Among the members there were Christians, Muslims and Jews.
During the uprising and the struggle for national liberation, from 1804 to 1813, an important role was played by the Masons Petar Ičko and Janko Katić, while in the first government formed in 1811 the first Minister of Education was Dositej Obradović, also a Mason and a Serbian enlightener.
In 1842 a Lodge under the name “Ali Koč” was founded in Belgrade, and by 1851 it had 204 members.
In 1877 came the complete liberation of Serbia from Turkish rule, and during these wars of liberation there were many volunteers from Italy in Serbia who helped found the Lodge “Svetlost Balkana – Garibaldi” (Light of the Balkans – Garibaldi) in 1876, under the protection of the Grand Orient of Italy. In the north of Serbia the following Lodges had been founded earlier (under the protection of the Grand Lodge of Hungary): in Vršac — “Egalitas” in 1872 and “By the Rock of Truth” in 1873; in Novi Sad — “Libertas” in 1875 (under the protection of the Grand Orient of Hungary); in Veliki Bečkerek — “Thales” in 1877; and in Sombor — the Masonic circle “Philantropia” in 1897 and the Lodge “Jövendő (The Future)” in 1908 (under the protection of the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Hungary).
In 1882 Serbia was proclaimed a kingdom, and new Lodges were founded in it: “Srbska zadruga” and “Sloga, rad i postojanstvo” in Belgrade (under the protection of the Grand Orient of Italy), “Stella Orientalis” in 1890 in Zemun (which moved to Pančevo in 1897), as well as “Pobratim” in 1891 in Belgrade, “Nemanja” in 1892 in Niš (under the protection of the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Hungary) and, in 1897, “Filantropija” in Sombor. At that time a visible rise of Freemasonry in the Kingdom of Serbia took place. In 1893 Bro. Sreten Stojković published the book “Freemasonry — its aim and principles, its present and past”. In 1894 a Mason, Bro. Svetomir Nikolajević, became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia.
The most prominent figures from the fields of education, science, art, politics, the nobility, and also the clergy, were members of these Lodges and played a significant role in the progress and development of Serbia. One of the most important contributions made by Masons in Serbia was the “Sretenje Constitution” of the Kingdom of Serbia, one of the first and most liberal constitutions of that time in the world, from 1835. On its title page clear Masonic symbols are displayed.
In 1905 the Lodge “Aurora” was founded in Vršac. Later, Lodges were formed in Belgrade — “Ujedinjenje” (Unification) in 1909 (under the protection of the Grand Orient of Italy) and “Šumadija” in 1910 (under the protection of the Grand Lodge of Hamburg) — and in 1911 the Lodge “Stvaranje – Alkotás” in Subotica. In the same year the Masonic circles “Élet (Life)” in Bela Crkva and “Világ (World)” in Veliki Bečkerek were founded. In 1913 the Masonic circles “Őrtűz (Sentry Fire)” in Bačka Palanka and “Rendületlenül (Unwavering)” in Novi Sad began their work.
By a concurrence of historical circumstances, the Kingdom of Serbia did not have a Grand Masonic Lodge until 1919. Although unusual, its emergence in 1919 was preceded by the formation and development of the “Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite” on 22 April 1909. With the help of the Brethren from the Grand Lodge of Romania and later of Greece, a Chapter of the Rose Croix of the 18th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite was founded, and in May 1912 the Supreme Council of the AASR of Serbia was formed. As early as October, the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite received in Washington the recognition of 24 Supreme Councils from around the world.
Only in 1919, following the unification of several Slavic peoples into a common state — the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 — on 9 June 1919 the Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes “Yugoslavia” was founded, consisting of six Lodges: “Sloga, rad i postojanstvo”, “Pobratim” and “Šumadija” from Belgrade, and “Maksimilijan Vrhovac”, “Ivan Grof Drašković” and “Budnost” from Croatia. Thus this Grand Lodge became the sole and highest Masonic authority in the kingdom. In that same year the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the Kingdom of SCS was also formed.
In 1924 the Masonic circle “Stratimirović” was founded in Novi Sad, growing into a Lodge in 1926. In Subotica, in 1928, the Lodge “Stella Polaris” was founded. In Veliki Bečkerek in 1930 the Masonic circle “Luks” was founded, which the same year grew into the Lodge “Vojvodina”; the town was then called Petrovgrad. In Pančevo, in 1937, the Lodge “Banat” was founded.
In 1929 the Kingdom of SCS received the name Yugoslavia, which entailed changes in the names of the Grand Lodge and the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite. The first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge “Yugoslavia” and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council was Đorđe Vajfert — an industrialist, later governor of the national bank, and benefactor. In the period of intensive advancement and development of Freemasonry until 1940, the Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge “Yugoslavia” were (after Đorđe Vajfert): until 1933, Bro. Dušan Milićević; from 1933 to 1940, Bro. Andrija Dinić — that is, until the Grand Lodge was set to sleep at the beginning of the Second World War. This was at the same time one of the most favourable periods in the development of Freemasonry in Serbia. King Alexander Karađorđević was, according to some sources, a Freemason in France, while the membership of Prince Paul Karađorđević — regent in the period from 1933 to 1941, that is, after the assassination of King Alexander — in Freemasonry was beyond doubt. Many prime ministers, ministers, members of the academy of sciences, scholars, artists, musicians, painters and writers were members of the Masonic Lodges of that time. Under the protection of the Grand Lodge “Yugoslavia”, 30 Lodges worked.
The Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia brought the light into the “National Grand Lodge of Czechoslovakia” on 27 October 1923. In Belgrade, from 11 to 16 September 1926, a great Masonic Congress was held, in which 56 representatives from 20 Masonic obediences from Europe and America took part. In the resolution that was published, the ideas of freedom and democracy were supported as the only possible path towards justice and respect for citizens, along with the unconditional and complete disarmament of the world and the idea of forming Masonic committees in every country that would help resolve economic problems and disagreements among countries — by peaceful means.
The United Grand Lodge of England recognized the Grand Lodge “Yugoslavia” in 1930. Mutual recognitions and friendly relations were exchanged with more than 50 Grand Lodges of the world. In the period before the Second World War, Prince Paul Karađorđević — as a Freemason, close relative and representative of the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia — attended, in July 1939, the installation of the Duke of Kent as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, which was of particular significance in view of the events that later followed. Already in that period the transfer of part of the Masonic archive from Belgrade to London began, owing to the increasingly unfavourable development of the situation in Europe. The Grand Lodge “Yugoslavia” put itself to sleep on 1 August 1940.
The occupation of the country by Nazi Germany led to the extinguishing of Masonic activity. Numerous Brethren were arrested and sent to concentration camps, and about a dozen of them were shot. The Gestapo gathered information about Freemasons and interrogated them, among them the last pre-war Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia, Bro. Andrija Dinić. From October 1941 to January 1942, in the premises of the Grand Lodge’s Temple, an Anti-Masonic exhibition was held, accompanied by unprecedented anti-Masonic and anti-Semitic propaganda, followed — as a particular curiosity — by the issuing of anti-Masonic postage stamps that remained in circulation long afterwards.
The government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and King Peter II Karađorđević moved to London. The head of that government and many ministers were Masonic Brethren. A good part of the Brethren who remained in the country joined the liberation movement and thus contributed to the liberation of the country in 1944.
In the period after the war, in the establishment of the transitional government, many Freemasons took part as ministers, but shortly after this, with the establishment of the pro-Russian communist regime, they disappeared from public and political life.
During communist rule in Yugoslavia and Serbia, Freemasonry never entirely died out. Freemasons acted in three ways: through a revived Lodge in Belgrade and a circle within the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in the period from 1945 to 1967; through work in emigration, where the Grand Lodge was revived; and through individual initiations in foreign Lodges during the 1970s and 1980s. Help for the Brethren in their attempts to revive the work of the Lodges came from the USA and Switzerland. Contacts were maintained with the Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite Bro. Shearer and the Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of the Southern Jurisdiction, Luther Smith. During that period Masons were also significantly active within the University of Belgrade. One of them, Bro. Ivo Andrić, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961.
In exile, the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia and the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite were revived in Rome in 1947. Nevertheless, they were again extinguished in 1967. The Lodges under the protection of the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia in exile were located in Rome, Cairo, Alexandria and Paris.
During the 1960s and 1970s, numerous Brethren were initiated in foreign obediences. A larger number of them joined the Masonic movement in the Grand Lodge “Alpina” in Switzerland, but also across the world, especially in America, France, England and Germany.
In the period between 1989 and 1993, an atmosphere of anticipation of democratization and the introduction of political pluralism prevailed in Yugoslavia, but also of fear of inter-ethnic tension and conflict. In such circumstances the revival of Freemasonry in Serbia took place.
In March 1989 three Lodges were registered in Belgrade: “Pobratim”, “Sloga, rad i postojanstvo” and “Maksimilijan Vrhovac”. After contacts and talks in Budapest and Wuppertal, the light was brought into the awakened Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia on 23 June 1990. The light was brought by Bro. Ernst Walter and the United Grand Lodges of Germany. That year the first multi-party elections in the country were held, while inter-ethnic tensions grew ever greater and a serious conflict threatened. Freemasonry in Serbia was to play a key role in spreading the ideas of civil liberty, the spirit of inter-ethnic and other tolerance, and the spirit of freedom. Various events contributed to the decision of the United Grand Lodges of Germany, in cooperation with many Brethren from Serbia, to entrust the fate of the further development of Freemasonry in Serbia to the Federal Council of the Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia. Owing to insecurity and pressure from the authorities, the following Grand Assembly, in 1993, was held outside the country, in Italy, in Rimini, on 13 and 14 March 1993.
The mallet of Grand Master was taken up by the previous Deputy Grand Master Bro. Braca Ćeran, and the very next day by Bro. Dragorad Tanasić. Thus a firm and stable cornerstone of the revived Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia was finally laid. It changed its name to the “Regular Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia”. The Senate of the United Grand Lodges of Germany accepted this decision of the Grand Assembly and provided all necessary assistance for further work. Among the Brethren who took part in making these important decisions was also the largest number of those who had been initiated in the Grand Lodge Alpina during the 1980s.
From that moment the further growth, advancement and development of Freemasonry in Serbia began. In the continuation of their activity, Freemasons also contributed to the end of the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milošević and the introduction of democracy in Serbia. Around the year 2000, at the time of the fall of the regime of Slobodan Milošević, the Regular Grand Lodge of Yugoslavia had about 200 members. The RGLY developed further rapidly and spread the light, and through its active contribution to the international brotherly chain it received ever more recognitions from Grand Lodges across the world. In 2002 the RGLY received — that is, renewed — the recognition of the United Grand Lodge of England as the sole Grand Lodge continuing the continuity of Masonic activity on the territory of Serbia since its founding in 1919, which was at the same time a confirmation of the recognition given in 1930 by the United Grand Lodge of England.
On 30 September 2007, following the separation of Montenegro and the renaming of the RGLY into the “Regular Grand Lodge of Serbia”, the World Conference of Grand Masonic Lodges, in Portland, recognized the RGLS as the sole and sovereign Masonic authority in Serbia, continuing the continuity since its emergence in 1919.
The Grand Masters in the period from 1993 to 2012 were the Brethren: MW Bro. Dragorad Tanasić (1993–1995), MW Bro. Novak Jauković (1995–1999), MW Bro. Jovan Vasiljević (1999–2001), MW Bro. Srđan Stanković (2001–2005), MW Bro. Petar Kostić (2005–2012), MW Bro. Ranko Vujačić (2012–2018). At the Assembly of the RGLS, on 16 December 2017, Bro. Lukas Rasulić was elected the new MW Grand Master, taking up his duty on 23 June 2018 at the Annual Assembly of the RGLS in Belgrade.
A particularly fruitful period in the development of the RGLS is represented by the last ten years or so, when the RGLS has grown to more than 2,000 Brethren, 62 Lodges and several humanitarian societies. A small museum and a library have been established. The RGLS has its own clubs and organizes in them many activities such as forums, lectures, concerts and others.
One of the most important tasks of the RGLS, which is continuously and successfully realized, is the spreading of the light and the founding of Lodges in all parts of Serbia, together with the careful and selective admission of members.
In its regular work the Lodges use several different rituals, among which most Lodges use the modified Schröder ritual, the Scottish ritual and the Emulation ritual. Within the RGLS there are Lodges that work in English — Lodge No. 21 “Sveti Jovan – Saint John” — and a Lodge that works in German — Lodge No. 26 “Lessing”.
The RGLS has also developed collateral orders such as the “Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite” and the “York Rite”, and nurtures its youth through the “DeMolay” order.