Freemasonry in Finland

Freemasonry first arrived in Finland in the year 1758 when the St. John Lodge St. Augustin, founded in Stockholm two years earlier, started working in Finland.

Freemasonry in Finland continued until 1813 when, after Finland became a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire, the activities of the Finnish lodges were discontinued.

In 1822, Emperor Alexander I forbade the existence of all secret societies within the Empire, a prohibition which was also extended to the Freemasons.

In 1920's, a group of Americans of Finnish origin wanted to reestablish Freemasonry in their former homeland. The result of this initiative was the establishment of Suomi Lodge No 1, whose first meeting took place in 1922 in Helsinki. The following year, lodges were founded in both Tampere and Turku.

During the early stages of their existence, the Finnish lodges functioned under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York. From the outset, however, the intention was for Finnish Freemasonry to achieve its own independence. Indeed, it took only until the year 1924 for the independent Grand Lodge of Finland to come into being.

Also Swedish Freemasonry returned to Finland in 1923, when St. John Lodge St. Augustin was reestablished after a hundred years of hibernation. Today, lodges of the Grand Lodge of Sweden work in Finland in the Swedish language only, having warm brotherly relations with the Grand Lodge of Finland.

During WW II, the activities of all the lodges in Finland were interrupted.

Freemasonry was rekindled once again in 1945. Today, the Grand Lodge of Finland consists of almost 160 lodges with a total membership of approximately 6,800.