From Secret Rituals to 74 Deaths.. Inside Europe's Most Disturbing Cult - THE ORDER OF THE SOLAR TEMPLE

The Order of the Solar Temple was an apocalyptic esoteric movement led by Belgian doctor Luc Jouret and French occultist Joseph Di Mambro. Combining Knights Templar mythology, New Age spirituality and predictions of global catastrophe, the group attracted hundreds of followers across Switzerland, France and Canada. Di Mambro reinforced his authority through elaborate rituals and staged supernatural “miracles,” while members were taught that death could become a spiritual “transit” to another world.

In September and October 1994, murders and ritual deaths in Quebec and Switzerland left 53 people dead, including the group's founders. Sixteen more died in France in 1995, followed by five in Quebec in 1997. In total, 74 people, including 11 children, died. Investigations showed that many victims had been drugged or murdered rather than voluntarily participating in a mass suicide.