Grand Lodge of the Republic of Venezuela
The Grand Lodge of the Republic of Venezuela is recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England.
The Gran Logia de la República de Venezuela (Grand Lodge of the Republic of Venezuela) was formally reconstituted on September 9, 1838, in Caracas, following Venezuela’s separation from Gran Colombia and a period of dormancy. Its roots go back to the Gran Logia de la Gran Colombia, constituted in Caracas in June 1824 under the leadership of Diego Bautista Urbaneja, who served as the first Grand Master both of the Gran Colombia body and of the reconstituted Venezuelan grand lodge. The grand lodge is headquartered in Caracas and today affiliates more than 121 lodges organized into seven geographic zones. The grand lodge is a member of the Inter-American Masonic Confederation and the Confederación Masónica Bolivariana — a regional body linking the grand lodges of the countries liberated by Bolívar (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela). Venezuela’s Masonic tradition has included an extraordinary range of historical figures: 37 of the national heroes enshrined in the Panteón Nacional have been identified as Freemasons, and presidents from Antonio Guzmán Blanco through Raúl Leoni belong to the Masonic tradition.
The Gran Logia de la República de Venezuela was formally reconstituted on September 9, 1838, in Caracas, following Venezuela’s separation from Gran Colombia and a period of dormancy after the early post-independence years. The lodges that formed the grand lodge had roots in the independence era, when Masonic networks provided part of the organizational and intellectual framework for the liberation movement.
Venezuela’s grand lodge navigated the country’s nineteenth century political instability (a period of repeated coups, caudillo rule, and civil conflict) maintaining institutional continuity through difficult conditions. The twentieth century brought both periods of democratic governance and military dictatorship, including the Marcos Pérez Jiménez regime (1948-1958), during which lodge activity was restricted. The restoration of democracy in 1958 allowed the fraternity to operate more freely.
Contemporary Venezuela’s severe political and economic crisis (which has produced one of the largest refugee flows in the Western Hemisphere) has created extremely difficult conditions for all civil institutions. Visiting Masons should exercise careful judgment before planning travel to Venezuela for Masonic purposes and should consult current travel advisories alongside checking with the grand lodge about the current state of lodge activity.
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