Introduction

In October 1994, 53 members of the Order of the Solar Temple in Switzerland and Quebec, Canada, were murdered or committed suicide. At 3:00 am on the same day, three chalets inhabited by members of the Solar Temple caught fire almost simultaneously at Les Grangessur-Salvan, in the Swiss Valais canton. For many months prior to this initial spate of murder-suicides, rumors of financial mismanagement had been circulating among Solar Temple members. The Solar Temple tragedies played a pivotal role in inflaming the cult controversy in Europe. The Solar Temple's founder, Joseph Di Mambro, had sampled a variety of esoteric groups, including the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC). The fires set or attempted by Solar Temple members during all the murder-suicide incidents recounted above seem to have been inspired by the fiery deaths of the original Templars.