Rosicrucianism
Rosicrucianism (/ˌroʊzɪˈkruːʃəˌnɪzəm, ˌrɒzɪ-/) is a spiritual and cultural movement influenced by Esoteric Christianity and Hermeticism that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new secret society. Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rose Cross or Rosy Cross. There have been several Rosicrucian (or Rosicrucian-inspired) organizations since the Rosicrucians appeared as characters from literary works, including the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross (1750s–1790s), the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (1865–present), and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (1887–1903).
Initially, the Rosicrucians were not supposed to be real people.1 The first “real” Rosicrucians appeared in the 18th century,2 probably in 1763.3
Printed 2026-09-15.
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Footnotes
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Edighoffer, Roland (2005). “Rosicrucianism I: First half of the 17th Century”. In Hanegraaff, Wouter J.; Faivre, Antoine; Broek, Roelof van den; Brach, Jean-Pierre (eds.). Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism: I. Brill. p. 1009. ISBN 978-90-04-14187-2. The manifestoes originated in the “Learned and Christian Society” established by → Johann Valentin Andreae in Tübingen in 1610. This small group of bosom friends of Andreae’s, notably Christoph Besold and Tobias Hess (his amici secretissimi), together conceived of and constructed the Rosicrucian myth. ↩
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Edighoffer 2005, p. 1014: “This influence remained literary, however: there is no proof that the Brotherhood of the Rose Cross described in the Fama Fraternitatis ever existed, and it is only in the 18th century that actual organizations calling themselves “rosicrucian” first come into existence.” ↩
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Edighoffer 2005, p. 1015. ↩