At the end of the nineteenth century Paris was the centre of an extraordinary revival of occultism. Journals, study groups, specialist bookshops and initiatory orders multiplied, fed by a public curious about everything that seemed to escape the dominant positivism. In this climate the Martinist Order was born, claiming the legacy of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and destined to spread to many countries.
Papus, the occultist physician
The central figure of the Order was Gérard Encausse, born in 1865 and died in 1916, better known by the pseudonym Papus. A physician by training, he was a tireless author: he wrote popular works on occultism, Kabbalah, the tarot and magic, which reached a wide readership. In 1888 he founded the journal L'Initiation, which became one of the main organs of French occultism.
Papus was also active in many other groups: the Theosophical Society, from which he later withdrew, the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross and several Masonic obediences of Egyptian rite.
The meeting with Chaboseau
According to the traditional account, in 1884 Papus received a Martinist initiation from Henri Delaage, who claimed to descend from a line of transmission going back to Saint-Martin. A few years later he met Augustin Chaboseau, who in turn stated that he had received an initiation through another line, passed on by a relative of his own.
The two conferred their respective initiations on each other and decided to unite these transmissions in an organised order. Historians consider it difficult to verify the continuity of these chains back to Saint-Martin, but they represent the Order's declared foundation.
The Supreme Council of 1891
In 1891 a Supreme Council of the Martinist Order was constituted, with Papus as Grand Master. Its members included well-known figures of Parisian occultism, among them Stanislas de Guaita, Joséphin Péladan and Chaboseau himself. The Order spread rapidly in France and abroad, with groups called lodges or heptads.
The three degrees
Papus's Martinist Order had a simple structure in three degrees:
| Degree | Name | Content |
|---|---|---|
| First | Associate | Introduction to the symbols and teachings |
| Second | Initiate | Deepening of the doctrine |
| Third | Unknown Superior (S.I.) | Fullness of initiation and the power to transmit it |
Later a fourth level was added, that of Unknown Superior Initiator, reserved for those who could initiate others and lead a group. Transmission from person to person, on the model attributed to Saint-Martin, remained the fundamental principle.
Martinist symbols
Martinist meetings take place in a simple setting full of symbols:
- the mask, which hides the face and reminds the initiate to work anonymously, without seeking personal recognition;
- the mantle, which wraps and protects, a sign of silence and recollection;
- the cord, which symbolically binds members to the chain of transmission;
- the three lights, candles arranged on a table, representing spiritual principles;
- the Martinist pentacle, an emblem combining circle, hexagram and cross.
The initials S.I. also have a symbolic reading linked to "Silence" and the "Unknown", but their main value is to indicate the Order's highest degree.
The doctrine
The Order imposes no rigid dogma. Its teaching rests on the tradition of Martinès and Saint-Martin: the fall of man, his reintegration, the inner way of the heart. Papus added elements of his own occultist synthesis, such as Kabbalah and tarot symbolism, making it an order of study as well as of spiritual transmission.
One of its most important principles is the freedom of the initiate: after receiving the degree of S.I., each person is called to continue on their own path independently, without depending on a hierarchy.
After Papus
Papus died in Paris in 1916, during the First World War, after serving as an army doctor. Without his guidance the Order split into several organisations, each with its own leaders and rituals. Some stressed the Christian and mystical side, others the link with Freemasonry, others again rediscovered the Élus Coëns. During the twentieth century Martinism spread to Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and the Americas as well.
The meaning of anonymity
Among the many initiatory societies of the nineteenth century, Martinism stands out for the importance it gives to anonymity and individual work. The mask is not a theatrical device: it signals that initiation concerns the inner person, not the social role. It is an idea that the Studio Esoterico Cornelio regards as one of the most precious in the Western tradition.
In short
- The Martinist Order arose in Paris in the 1880s through the initiative of Papus and Augustin Chaboseau.
- The Supreme Council was constituted in 1891, with Papus as Grand Master.
- The three degrees were Associate, Initiate and Unknown Superior.
- Mask, mantle, cord and three lights are the main Martinist symbols.
- After Papus's death in 1916 the Order split into several organisations active in many countries.
