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| THE FIRST Grand Lodge of Freemasonry was formed in 1717, and it is the oldest and largest fraternal society in the world. Although its origins will never be known definitively, some historians trace its start to the stone workers and master masons who built the great cathedrals of Europe. | Some scholars say that the roots of Freemasonry derive from the time of King Solomon during the construction of the great Temple of Jerusalem. Yet others tie the beginning of this ancient order to the Christian organization known as the Knights Templar. |