Rosicrucianism
17th-century European spiritual movement
Rosicrucianism () 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. The first "real" Rosicrucians appeared in the 18th century, probably in 1763.
History
The Rosicrucians appeared as characters from literary works by the Learned and Christian Society.
Between 1610 and 1615, two anonymous manifestos appeared in early modern Germany and soon after were published throughout Europe. The Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis (The Fame of the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross) was circulated in manuscript among German occultists from around 1610, and published at Cassel in 1614. Johannes Valentinus Andreae has been considered the possible author of the work. A literal reading narrates the travels and education of "Father Brother C.R.C." and his founding of a secret brotherhood of similarly prepared men.
The public source identifies “Rosicrucianism” as 17th-century European spiritual movement. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Rosicrucianism, 17th-century and European.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q194267. VIAF identifies the subject as 1752154260771624480002. The Library of Congress control number is sh85115455. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1865, 1887, 1903 and 1763.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rosicrucianism” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.