Saint-Martin, Louis Claude de (1743-1803)

French mystic. His philosophy is based on the belief that human beings have a divine power which they have forgotten how to use. Through self-awareness they can fulfil their function as the managers of universal harmony.

Saint-Martin was influenced by the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg and the German Jakob Boehme. He became a prominent member of a group of masonic Rosicrucians called the Elect Cohens. Saint-Martin's mysticism attracted many followers, who called themselves Martinists. His philosophy also had an influence on Romanticism.