Order of the Solar Temple

The Order of the Solar Temple was a secretive cult based in Quebec, founded by Jo Di Mambro and Luc Jouret. Di Mambro was a very radical man, declaring several bizarre practices and beliefs. He said he was reincarnated, but his former incarnation changed frequently to suit his needs. He also organized marriages between his followers and decided who could have children in their group. His history of fraud and swindling hints as to why he managed to get so much money from donors in the first place. Luc Jouret, however, was a charismatic doctor and obstetrician from Belgium. He had professional merit, but he embraced spiritual healing as well and ultimately proved almost as radical as Di Mambro, coming to share many of his ideas.

A medallion showing the emblem of the Order.

The Order first came to light in a sinister case of murder at a renowned ski resort in Morin Heights. Fire services were called to the property due to, as is hopefully obvious, a fire. They recovered two charred bodies, which were at first believed to be Di Mambro and Jouret, as they were on Di Mambro's property. However, autopsies showed that the bodies did not belong to them, but to two members of the Order, and further investigation discovered three more bodies in a cupboard. The corpses belonged to the family that Di Mambro had been renting the property out to, consisting of a couple and their young son.

Di Mambro ordered the murders of the Dutoit family due to an incident during which they left the cult. Tony Dutoit had helped Di Mambro create an illusion in which the elders of the Order would materialize before their followers for their rituals. However, he eventually revealed the practice to other Order members and tried to reclaim the money he had donated to the Order. His wife, Nicki Dutoit, also became pregnant without Di Mambro's permission, which only angered him further. The couple left the Order, and after their son, Emmanuel Dutoit, was born, Di Mambro declared him to be the Antichrist, justifying his orders to the Order.

Afterwards, several mass suicides began to occur in Switzerland and France. Followers were found placed in a sun-shaped circle around a triangular altar, some with plastic bags over their heads. Only some of them turned out to be suicide, however, as most were murdered. Flammable liquids such as petrol were found poured all over the buildings, which were rigged with several explosive devices that failed to detonate. This traces back to the Order's belief that fire is the only medium which one can ascend to the next realm through, which was the star Sirius, where the cult believed they could reconvene after death.

The triangular altar and the suicide room, minus bodies.

All in all, 74 followers took their own lives, after which the cult died down. The authorities do not consider any remaining members of the Order a threat.