It was founded by French esotericist Jacques Breyer and Maxime de Roquemaure in 1952, and was formally established in 1966 in Monaco.

[1] A second branch of neo-Templarism, independent from prior groups that descended from Fabré-Palaprat, was created by French esotericist and author Jacques Breyer.

[2] After the experience in the castle, Breyer met the occultist Maxime de Roquemaure, who claimed that he was part of a branch of an order that descended directly from the original Templars, which had secretly survived in Ethiopia.

[2][3] From this experience grew a circle around Breyer and several other movements, including both the OSTS and the Ordre du Temple cosmique (OTC).

[7] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Breyer experienced some personal problems that led to him withdrawing from esotericism and stepping away from the order.

[12] It requested that the bishops of France begin the process to rehabilitate the Knights Templar, seeking an audience with the Pope, that same year.

[13] Paris Match criticized them in their coverage, receiving a letter in response from Marsan where he attempted to rebut their allegations.

The Golden Way Foundation was founded by one Joseph Di Mambro, and was recognized by Breyer as part of his Arginy movement.

During this ceremony, the ORT and the OSTS renewed an allegiance to a "once and future" secret Master of the Temple with supremacy over both organizations (though this meeting did not represent a merger between the groups).

[23][24] Breyer later wrote a book on the Solar Christ concept, in which he claimed the Arginy castle was the founding site of the Templars.

[13] Many members were high ranking or well established people in society: CEOs, company executives, police officers.

'[14] The order's beliefs were set out in a book called Pourquoi la resurgence de l'Ordre du Temple?

Marsan, also known as "Loulou", was a childhood friend of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, which resulted in a conspiracy theory that the OTS was involved in the death of Rainer's wife, Grace Kelly.

[3] Di Mambro, leader of the Golden Way Foundation and later the OTS, viewed the 1981 meeting with the OSTS and ORT as the true founding of the Solar Temple.