De Rupecissa, Johannes (or Jean de
Roquetaillade) (d. ca. 1362)
Alchemist and ancestor of Montfauçon, the distinguished
archaeologist. His name suggests that he was a man of gentle
Dermot of the Love-spot (Dermot ODyna) Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology 5th Ed.
402
birth, while it is commonly supposed that he was a French
monk of the order of St. Francis.
In 1357, presumably because of his alchemistic predilections,
De Rupecissa was imprisoned by Pope Innocent VI.
Much mystery surrounded his life and death. Some said he was
released from prison in 1378 by Pope Urban VI, others that he
died in prison. Another rumor was that he was burned at the
stake in 1362.
De Rupecissa contributed four volumes to the literature of
alchemy and hermetic philosophy Coelum Philosophorum
(1543), De Quinta Essentia Rerum Omniam (1561), De Secretis Alchemiae
(1579), and Livre de Lumière (n.d.). These were admired
by a number of the authors successors, but their value is literary
rather than scientific.
