Order of the Solar Temple

The Order of the Solar Temple was a neo-Templar esoteric religious movement founded in 1984 in Switzerland by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret.

The Order of the Solar Temple was a neo-Templar esoteric religious movement founded in 1984 in Switzerland by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret. It became internationally known after a series of murders and mass deaths in Switzerland, France, and Canada in the 1990s. The group was dissolved by the late 1990s.

Origins

The Order of the Solar Temple was founded in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret in the Geneva area of Switzerland. It emerged from the merger of earlier groups connected to their esoteric and neo-Templar ideas.

Beliefs and structure

The group presented itself as a spiritual movement with ritual practices and a worldview influenced by Temple imagery, Theosophy, and related esoteric traditions. It used French as its main language and attracted members in several French-speaking regions.

Criminal cases and deaths

The Order became widely known after mass deaths and killings associated with the group in Switzerland, France, and Canada during the 1990s. These events prompted criminal investigations and enduring public attention.

Legacy

The Order of the Solar Temple is now understood primarily through its violent end and its place in the history of destructive cults and criminal new religious movements. It remains a case study in sectarian coercion and collective death.