Fiat Lux is a small UFO religion based primarily in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany. Founded in 1980 by Swiss-born Erika Hedwig Bertschinger-Eicke, who adopted the spiritual name “Uriella,” the movement combined traditional Christian eschatology with extraterrestrial mythology. Despite its relatively small membership, Fiat Lux became widely known in German-speaking Europe through media coverage, legal proceedings, and a series of apocalyptic prophecies.
The group’s founder was born Erika Hedwig Gessler in Zurich in 1929 into a conservative Catholic family. She later worked as a secretary and interpreter, traveling to England and the United States. Her involvement with spiritual healing and natural medicine began in the early 1970s. A turning point came in 1973, when a horse-riding accident left her with a concussion. Following the incident, she claimed to have developed paranormal abilities, including clairvoyance and the capacity to receive direct communications from divine figures. She also came to believe that she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, a claim that became central to her spiritual authority.
Adopting the name Uriella, she presented herself as a prophetic channel for divine revelation. In 1980, she formally established the Fiat Lux order near the Germany-Switzerland border. The movement eventually centered its activities in the southern Black Forest communities of Ibach and Strittmatt.
The group established monastic communities, and early followers were recruited through personal networks and the circulation of Uriella’s writings. Growth remained relatively modest, with an emphasis on committed and ascetic adherents rather than broad proselytization. By the 1990s, membership reportedly peaked at approximately 700 individuals, with as many as 2,000 less committed sympathizers.
The theology of Fiat Lux combined Christian apocalypticism, reincarnation, soul ascension, and esoteric ufology. Central to its teachings was the belief that humanity had entered its final phase of history. According to the group’s doctrine, this period would culminate in global catastrophes, a Third World War involving secret Nazi UFO technology originating from Antarctica, and the destruction of two-thirds of humanity.
Those deemed spiritually prepared would be rescued by benevolent extraterrestrial beings acting under the command of Jesus Christ. Followers believed they would be transported in small spherical spacecraft to vast interstellar motherships, where their souls would undergo purification before they returned to a transformed and peaceful Earth renamed Amora.
Uriella stated that she received these teachings while in a state of full trance. During weekly Sunday services, she delivered lengthy channeled messages attributed to Jesus or Mary, which followers regarded as infallible divine directives.
The movement also maintained a number of prohibitions that separated members from the outside world. Computers were explicitly condemned and prohibited. The Internet acronym “www” was interpreted as representing three occurrences of the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, corresponding to the biblical “Number of the Beast” 666. Computers were also said to emit harmful electromagnetic rays.
Life within Fiat Lux’s inner circle followed a highly structured monastic routine. Critics identified these practices as evidence of cultlike control. Members were required to observe celibacy and follow a vegetarian diet intended to preserve bodily purity. Upon initiation, adherents adopted new ritual names, symbolically distancing themselves from previous identities. They wore white garments to represent light and cleanliness.
In 1992, after a German television broadcast alleged that Uriella’s alternative healing practices had contributed to the deaths of followers, authorities carried out coordinated raids on 14 Fiat Lux properties. Documents were seized, and hundreds of people were questioned. The investigation resulted in the revocation of Uriella’s healing permits. Although the group initially prevailed in several later court proceedings concerning unlicensed medical substances, Swiss authorities convicted and fined Uriella in 1994 for distributing unregulated healing products.
In 1996, Uriella stood trial on charges of negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm following the deaths of two followers, one with AIDS and the other with cancer. Prosecutors argued that she had discouraged the women from pursuing conventional medical treatment while promoting her own spiritual remedies. The court acquitted her, concluding that the followers had exercised a voluntary “right to folly.” Critics, however, argued that the ruling failed to account for the psychological pressure and influence Uriella exercised over adherents.
A major criminal conviction followed in 1998, when a German court found Uriella guilty of fraud, smuggling unauthorized medicines across borders, and tax evasion. She received a 22-month suspended prison sentence along with a substantial fine.
Uriella had predicted that the global catastrophe and extraterrestrial evacuation would begin in 1998. When these events failed to occur, she did not acknowledge error. Instead, she attributed the delay to the collective prayers of the faithful, presenting the outcome as a divinely granted “temporary postponement.” This reinterpretation allowed the core membership to maintain doctrinal continuity. However, the failure of the 1998 prophecy, combined with increasing public awareness of allegations surrounding the group’s internal dynamics, contributed to a continuing decline in membership.
The decline accelerated after 2005, as Uriella’s deteriorating health reduced her public appearances and curtailed the trance-channeling sessions that had long been central to community life. By the time of her death on February 24, 2019, the core membership had fallen to fewer than 100 individuals.
Leadership formally passed to her husband, Eberhard Eicke, who was known within the group as Icordo. Under his leadership, Fiat Lux maintained a lower public profile and reported no new prophetic revelations.
Key Sources:
Bruhin, M. (2019, February 25). Tod von Uriella: Sektenexperte beurteilt Zukunft von Fiat Lux. Blick.
Swissinfo. (2000, April 12). Cult leader to pay back former follower.
Swissinfo. (2019, February 26). Controversial sect leader Uriella dies.
Trier, B. (2023, December 20). Die “Prophetin Uriella” und ihr umstrittener Orden: Fiat Lux. Bischöfliches Generalvikariat.