The Initiatic Order of the Knights of Light (O.I.C.L.) was lawfully and ritually constituted on 30 April 1993, under the auspices of the Grand Orient of Italy. The nine founding Brethren came from a long and distinguished Masonic background and ranked among the most highly qualified members of the Obedience. The inspirer of the Order, who had already been called upon to hold high institutional responsibilities, also drew his spiritual orientation from an uninterrupted commitment to the world of Tradition, to which he had remained faithful since 1970.

In 1996, having recognized the now evident incompatibility between the cultural, ethical and spiritual direction adopted by the new leadership of the Grand Orient of Italy and the founding principles of the Order, the O.I.C.L. unanimously resolved to withdraw from the Obedience.

After 185 days of full independence, during which invitations from numerous Italian Masonic Communions interested in absorbing or integrating the group were declined, the Order decided to join the Most Serene National Grand Lodge of A.L.A.M. – Piazza del Gesù, then led by the late Grand Master Vincenzo Milone, while fully preserving its spiritual, ritual and operative autonomy.
In the years that followed, the O.I.C.L. took an active part in the life of the Communion and received significant institutional recognition. The First Knight of the Order was first granted the title of Deputy Grand Master and subsequently that of Honorary Grand Master, while other members of the O.I.C.L. were called upon to hold high offices within the Grand Lodge.
In 2006, several years after the passing of Grand Master Vincenzo Milone, the Order concluded that the new direction adopted by the Communion was no longer consistent with the principles of the Initiatic Tradition that had always inspired its work. By unanimous resolution, the Order therefore withdrew its affiliation from the Most Serene Italian National Grand Lodge of A.L.A.M. – Piazza del Gesù, together with all the institutional offices conferred upon its representatives, and publicly stated the reasons for this difficult decision.

On 4 June 2006, by solemn ritual resolution, the Initiatic Order of the Knights of Light officially proclaimed its status of Sovereign Autonomy and Independence.
A few months earlier, on 21 April 2006, the day traditionally dedicated to the Birth of Rome, the Ancient Universal Freemasonry (M.A.U.), a Federation already nominally established in 1993, had been formally constituted by notarial deed executed in Genoa. Through this act, the Order reaffirmed its continuity with a conception of the Initiatic Tradition distinct from modern Speculative Freemasonry, regarding the latter as having progressively departed from its original principles under the influence of rationalist, Enlightenment and socio-political currents that developed throughout the modern era.

The O.I.C.L. has therefore always maintained a clear distinction from those organizations which, while outwardly preserving ritual forms and hierarchical-symbolic structures, have progressively given priority to predominantly speculative, cultural or social aims, rather than to authentically initiatic research and the transmission of Traditional Wisdom. The Order continues to recognize as its exclusive mission the inner formation of the human being through an operative, chivalric and sapiential Initiatic Path.

In 2014, at the initiative of Grand Master Renzo Canova, the possibility of cooperation with the Supreme Council of Italy and San Marino of the 33rd and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite was explored. Despite an atmosphere of mutual esteem and cordiality, the negotiations did not lead to an institutional agreement capable of guaranteeing the conditions of full reciprocity considered necessary by the Order.

In the autumn of 2023, Grand Master Luigi Pruneti, during a visit to the headquarters of the O.I.C.L., presented the project of the Italian Traditional Masonic Order (O.M.T.I.), inviting the Order to consider joining the new Communion while fully safeguarding its spiritual, ritual and organizational autonomy.

His attitude of genuine openness, his respect for every regular expression of the Initiatic Tradition and his willingness to foster dialogue among different bodies united by the common search for Truth formed the basis of a constructive exchange.

In September 2024, by unanimous resolution of the Assembly of the Order, the O.I.C.L. officially joined the Italian Traditional Masonic Order, while fully preserving its identity, its ritual heritage and its complete initiatic autonomy.