Who is Saint Germain. Who is the Comte Saint-Germain - an outstanding alchemist or time traveler? Posthumous life of Saint Germain

Count Saint Germain

The names of many famous foreign prophets, soothsayers and other sorcerers are associated with Russia. These include the Count Saint-Germain - one of the most mysterious figures in the history of the XVIII century. To this day, the name of the count is shrouded in impenetrable mystery, the riddle of his personality remains unsolved. Contemporaries called him a magician and a sorcerer, a prophet and teacher of wisdom. It was believed that he knew the secret of longevity, in other words, the preservation of youth, and the recipe for the elixir of immortality. Theosophists, following H. P. Blavatsky, were sure that he “certainly was the greatest adept of the East that Europe has seen in recent centuries”, who came into the world as a messenger of the Great Brotherhood of Mahatmas, that is, the Teachers of Wisdom, and appeared to mankind “ hoping to improve it, make it wiser and happier."

The biography of Saint-Germain, despite the efforts of researchers who do not tire of looking for new facts of his life, is like a patchwork quilt with many holes. Or rather, he has many biographies, and one is more incredible than the other. He was considered almost an incarnate God, a bearer of secret wisdom, a great prophet, who equally saw both the future and the past. In his memoirs, he narrated in detail about the events of past centuries, as if he were their contemporary and saw everything with his own eyes. Saint Germain was also famous as an alchemist who could transform base metals into gold. They also thought that he was a freemason, almost their head, and even allegedly belonged to the ancient order of the Templars and was initiated into their secrets.

The count often disappeared from the field of view of his contemporaries, and when he reappeared, he did not explain either his disappearances or even more strange returns. He usually appeared suddenly, say, in Paris, London, The Hague or Rome, lived there under different names. And if it weren’t for the testimonies of those who knew him well, one would really think that Count Tsarogi (an anagram from Rakoczy), the Marquis of Montfert, Count Bellamar, Count Weldon, Count Saltykov and Count Saint-Germain are different people. About a dozen pseudonyms are known under which this person appeared and acted in various places and at various times. Some thought that he was a Spaniard, the illegitimate son of the widow of the Spanish king Charles II and a Madrid banker, others considered him to be the illegitimate son of the Portuguese king. They also took him for the son of a Savoyard tax collector named Rotondo. In a word, there were many conjectures and assumptions.

But everyone unanimously agreed that it was impossible to determine the age of the count. Hence, probably, the legend about his longevity, that he knows the path leading to immortality. He himself liked to inadvertently mention that he personally was once acquainted with Christ himself and predicted to him that he would end badly. He knew Cleopatra, and Plato, and Seneca, and "easily chatted with the Queen of Sheba." Speaking of this, the count suddenly caught himself, like a man who has said too much, and mysteriously fell silent.

Once in Dresden, someone asked the coachman Saint-Germain, is it true that his master is four hundred years old? He replied: “I don’t know for sure. But in the one hundred and thirty years that I serve him, his lordship has not changed at all ... "

This at least strange admission was confirmed by some elderly aristocrats. They suddenly remembered that they had already seen this man in the salons of their grandmothers long ago in childhood. And since then, they marveled, he had not changed at all in appearance. For example, Countess d "Ademar was surprised at how Saint-Germain manages to live so long without aging. After all, she knew, according to her, older people who saw him forty to fifty years old at the very beginning of the 18th century. He looked just like and half a century later...

What did this strange count look like? Here is how contemporaries describe his appearance. He was of medium height, about forty-five years old, with a swarthy, spiritual face, marked by undoubted signs of deep intelligence. The features are regular, the eyes are penetrating, the hair is black, the posture is majestic. The count dressed simply, but tastefully. The only thing he allowed himself was dazzling diamonds on his fingers, snuffbox, watch and shoe buckles. In all his appearance, a noble origin was felt.

He himself hinted that he belonged to the ancient Hungarian family of Rakoczi. The most famous are two of his ancestors: Gyorgy Rakoczi (1593–1648), Prince of Transylvania, participant in the Thirty Years' War on the side of the anti-Habsburg coalition, and Ferenc Rakoczy II, leader of the Hungarian liberation war in 1703–1711.

So, according to one version, he could well be the son of Ferenc Rakoczi I (1645–1676). His mother, Ilona Zrinyi, was the daughter of parents executed by the Austrians. Ilona managed to escape thanks to the mediation of the Jesuits and with the help of a huge ransom. Ferenc and Ilona had three children: György, who was born in 1667 and lived only a few months; Juliana, born in 1672 and died in 1717; Ferenc, born in 1676 and died in 1735. Their father, Ferenc Rakoczi I, died in 1676, a few months after the birth of Ferenc Jr.

At the age of eighteen, Ferenc Rákóczi II married Charlotte-Amalie of Hesse (from the Rheinfald line). This happened in 1694. There were four children from this marriage: Lipot-György (1696–1700), Jozsef (1700–1738), György (1701–1756) and Charlotte (1706 -?).

Some believe that it was Lipot-Gyorgy, the eldest son of Ferenc Rakoczi II, who became Count Saint-Germain. However, it is reliably known that the boy died four years old. And here comes a rather strange version. The year of Ferenc's birth coincides with the year of death of his father, Ferenc Rakoczi II. From this they conclude that this death was staged and that the son and father are one and the same person.

There is another version about the origin, if not of the Count of Saint-Germain, then of his name: supposedly someone bought the estate of Saint-Germain in the Italian Tyrol, paid the Pope for the title and became the Count of Saint-Germain.

The count himself said that the evidence of his origin "is in the hands of the person on whom he depends (that is, from the Austrian emperor), and this dependence has weighed on him all his life in the form of constant surveillance ...". However, to reveal his personal secrets to everyone, he declared, was not in his rules.

One way or another, it is reliably known that the count appeared in various European capitals, everywhere causing amazement and admiration for the diversity of his amazing talents. Saint-Germain played many instruments, especially the violin. It happened that he even conducted an entire orchestra, and without a score. Some were inclined to consider his skill equal to that of Paganini.

Saint-Germain was also known as an artist. He possessed a special secret of colors that glowed in the dark with an extraordinary light. Alas, none of his paintings have come down to us.

His memory was phenomenal, and he could repeat several pages of printed text after reading them only once. He managed to write with both hands at the same time, and often sketched a love letter with one hand, and poetry with the other.

And, of course, the count's knowledge of physics and chemistry was amazing. He enjoyed the special favor of the ladies of the French court as an unsurpassed master in the preparation of dyes and cosmetics. In Italy, the count conducted experiments to improve the manufacture of flax, developed a new method for refining olive oil - the bad turned into refined of the highest quality. Using the latest technology, he was engaged in the manufacture of hats at the request of Count Cobenzl, the Austrian ambassador to Belgium. It was in the Belgian city of Tournai.

There, one day, the famous adventurer Casanova happened to be passing by. Helena Blavatsky wrote that during their meeting, “Saint Germain decided to show his strength as an alchemist. Taking a coin of 2 sous, put it on red-hot charcoal and worked with a blowpipe; the coin melted and left to cool. "Now," says Saint Germain, "take your money." - "But she's made of gold!" - "From pure." Casanova does not believe in transformation and looks at the whole operation as a trick, but nevertheless puts a coin in her pocket ... "

Saint Germain could spend hours telling all sorts of funny stories about precious stones, especially diamonds. Moreover, using his knowledge and skill as a chemist, he, as contemporaries claimed, managed to “cure” diamonds, eliminate cracks or any other flaw in them.

It is not surprising that many believed in his miraculous abilities, in the fact that stones of relatively low value turned into jewels of the purest water after they were in the hands of Saint Germain. And no one was surprised that at the table at his dinner parties, the guests found, next to the name card indicating their place, some kind of jewel.

The count's contemporaries also noted that, as a historian, he possessed almost supernatural knowledge about everything that had happened over the past two thousand years, and in his oral stories he described the events of previous centuries to the smallest detail. At dinner parties in the homes of aristocrats, where he was gladly invited, he regaled those present with stories of his incredible adventures in distant lands or stories from the personal, intimate life of great people, French and other kings, whom he claimed to have met and at whose court he himself had been. And once he even mentioned that he owned a staff or rod, with which Moses extracted water from a rock. At the same time, without hesitation, he added that the staff was presented to him in Babylon.

The authors of the memoirs, telling about all this, are at a loss as to what evidence of the count can be trusted. On reflection, they came to the conclusion that most of the stories of Saint-Germain were taken from some sources, for example, from the memoirs of Brantome, Saint-Simon and other memoirs, then already quite accessible. But, on the other hand, the information he communicated was so accurate, and the knowledge so extraordinary, excellent in every respect, that his words had a special power of persuasion. And they believed him.

Information about the reasons and circumstances of the visit of Count Saint-Germain to distant Russia is contradictory: even the dates of this trip are disputed. Most likely, the count arrived in St. Petersburg at the invitation of his longtime acquaintance and friend, the famous Italian artist Count Pietro Rotari, who was then working in the Russian capital as a court painter. There are, however, reasons to believe that even then Saint-Germain was familiar with Grigory Orlov and came to Northern Palmyra at his invitation.

In St. Petersburg, Saint-Germain, accompanied by the artist, visited the most famous families - the Razumovskys, Yusupovs, Golitsyns ... As usual, he charmed his listeners with his virtuoso violin playing. And he even dedicated a piece of music for harp he had written to Countess AI Osterman, nee Talyzina. He also talked with the merchant Manyan, who was engaged in buying and selling precious stones. This merchant set aside defective stones and handed them over to the count, so that he would give them their original shine. Saint-Germain also visited Princess Golitsyna, although it is not known which one.

But it is known for sure that Saint-Germain lived in Grafsky Lane near the Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky. The count did not stay long in Petersburg. When at the beginning of July 1762 there was a coup and Peter III was overthrown by his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna, Count Saint-Germain was no longer in the capital. Nevertheless, there were persistent rumors that he took part in the preparation of the coup and was almost one of the active conspirators, although "his name is not cited anywhere among others."

However, F. Tastevin in his book “The History of the French Colony in Moscow” bluntly states that the famous Saint-Germain “organized the coup of 1762, as a result of which Emperor Peter III lost first the throne, then his life.” And the Englishwoman I. Cooper-Oakley, a researcher of the life of Saint-Germain, writes that "Count Saint-Germain was in these parts in the era of Peter III and left Russia after the ascension of Catherine II to the throne ...". As if he was even awarded the title of general of the Russian army. In any case, our domestic researcher O. Volodarskaya says in her work “Following the mysterious count”: “It is an undeniable fact that Saint-Germain was in Russia in 1760-1762 and, together with the Orlov brothers, played a significant role in the palace coup, who, on June 28, 1762, placed a new empress on the Russian throne.

... Grand Duchess Catherine was distinguished by a thin waist, beautiful skin and lips that were inviting to kisses. At the age of fifteen, still very young, when she was called Sophia-Frederika-Augusta and was an Anhaltzerbian princess, she was given in marriage to her cousin - Peter, the son of the Duke of Holstein and his wife Anna, daughter of Peter I, and the nephew of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. He was also a German and became heir to the Russian throne at the behest of Aunt Elizabeth. He had a bad reputation: a vile jester who looked like a small monkey, an insidious deceiver and a coward. He was insufferable.

And the future empress already at that time began to surround herself with admirers.

First, she turned a favorable look on the young and handsome officer Sergei Saltykov. He courted her in 1752. A year and a half after their rapprochement, Catherine gave birth to a son, the future Tsar Paul I. The Grand Duchess loved Sergei Saltykov, but once she waited in vain for him all night.

“My pride did not allow me to forgive betrayal!” - wrote Catherine.

She broke up with him and replaced her unfaithful lover with the young and inexperienced Stanislav-August Poniatowski, who gave her his innocence and gave her a child. Peter III recognized him as his own.

In 1760, Catherine parted ways with Poniatowski. He returned to Poland, and she quickly consoled herself - the future queen was still very young. In 1761, she dreamed and sighed about the irresistible lieutenant Grigory Orlov, about this "giant with the face of an angel." He served in the regiment that guarded the palace, along with four brothers. Soon, in July 1762, Grigory Orlov and his brothers helped Catherine ascend the throne, overthrowing her husband, Peter III.

Was Saint Germain involved in the events that took place at the royal court?

In confirmation of the fact that Saint-Germain was nevertheless involved in them, they cite the testimony of the collector of the last century Pylyaev. He managed to purchase at auction in St. Petersburg a music sheet with a melody for a harp, marked 1760, a composition by Count Saint-Germain in a beautiful red morocco binding. The notes were dedicated to Countess Osterman and signed by Saint-Germain.

If this is so, then it turns out that the count stayed in the Russian capital for about a year and a half and left it on the eve of the coup. However, there is no absolutely reliable data about his stay here. P. Shakornak’s investigation did not yield anything, he only established that Saint-Germain “did not have any relations with Catherine II” and that in official documents of that time, according to a certificate received by Shakornak in 1932 in the Leningrad archive, “the name of Saint- Germaine is not mentioned anywhere among others.

It was assumed that in St. Petersburg Saint-Germain acted under the name of Odar, who played a well-known role at that time. He was a lawyer at the city chamber of commerce, but ignorance of the Russian language prevented him from fulfilling this position. Then, with the support of Princess Dashkova, one of the inspirers of the coup, the Italian tried to become Catherine's secretary, but this attempt failed. In the end, he received the post of quartermaster in the country house of Peter III in Oranienbaum. Shortly before the coup, Dashkova saw him there, which she writes about in her memoirs.

It is tempting, of course, to imagine that Saint-Germain, under the name of Odar, entered into the confidence of Peter III and helped the conspirators. Yet there is hardly any good reason to identify Odar with Saint Germain.

The testimony of I. Cooper-Oakley served as the basis for the writer Nikolai Dubov in our time to bring Saint-Germain in his historical novel The Wheel of Fortune, where the count is the most significant and most mysterious hero. On the pages of N. Dubov's book, Count Saint-Germain participates in the overthrow of Peter III, he is initiated into the secret-secret Russian Empress, and this eventually becomes dangerous. She decides to get rid of the unwanted witness and sends a killer to him...

In St. Petersburg, Count Saint-Germain met with Prince Grigory Orlov and, according to him, cited by the same I. Cooper-Oakley, he really "played an important role in the Russian coup." Saint-Germain was also familiar with another participant in this event, with one of the conspirators Alexei Orlov, the brother of the previous one. Later, as if together with him - the commander-in-chief of the Russian fleet - he was on the flagship "Three Hierarchs" during the Chesme battle with the Turks in 1770. And in 1773, Saint-Germain met again with his old acquaintance Grigory Orlov and acted as his adviser in Amsterdam. He helped the prince buy the famous diamond.

By that time, the once all-powerful favorite, Prince Grigory Orlov, was pushed aside by the new favorites of the Empress - Vasilchikov and Potemkin. And either hoping to improve his position at court, or out of old memory - as they say, old love does not rust - he decided to present a precious stone to the day of the angel Catherine. It was a 189-carat blue-green diamond, shaped like half a pigeon's egg, and cut by the Venetian master Borgio, who worked at the Mughal court. There are several versions of the history of this stone and how it ended up in Russia through the mediation of Saint Germain.

According to one version, the Armenian merchant Gregory Safras managed to fraudulently take possession of the diamond, who killed an Afghan soldier for the sake of this.

Soon the rumor about the unprecedented beauty of the diamond spread throughout Europe. Catherine II also found out about this. She invited Safras to Petersburg (in Russia he was called the "millionaire Shafrasov"), where she brought him together with her jeweler Ivan

Lazarevich Lazarev - an Armenian merchant from Astrakhan. But Safras flatly refused to sell his treasure, or rather, he broke an incredible price for it.

However, in his will, written on the eve of his departure from Russia in 1771, Safras appointed Johann Agazar as his executor - this is the German spelling of the name Ivan Lazarev.

The will says that “on October 1, 1767, in an Amsterdam bank, to keep them with three seals on red wax, they put a package in which a diamond stone weighing 779 grams of Dutch is ...”.

From that moment on, the stone began to be called "Amsterdam". And in 1773, Lazarev testified that "Grigory Safras sold me half of his one hundred and ninety-five carat diamond for 125,000 rubles ...". He, in turn, "sold the aforementioned diamond to His Serene Highness Prince Orlov." The prince specially arrived in Amsterdam, met here with Count Saint-Germain and, perhaps, through his mediation, acquired the coveted diamond, which the Russian Empress dreamed of.

Orlov paid for the stone one and a half million florins, that is, four hundred thousand rubles, and on the day of Catherine's angel presented her with a diamond. In November 1773, the Prussian envoy reported to King Friedrich: “Today, Prince G. Orlov in Tsarskoye Selo presented the Empress with a diamond instead of a bouquet, which he bought for 400,000 rubles from the banker Lazarev. This stone was exhibited that day at the court. The Empress ordered that the diamond, henceforth called Orlov, be inserted into the sovereign scepter of the Russian Empire.

There is, however, another version of the purchase of this diamond. Allegedly, there is a document signed by Orlov and Lazarev, which paints a completely different picture of the acquisition of this stone. According to this version, Orlov allegedly performed only the role of an intermediary in the transaction, and Catherine II herself bought this diamond.

As for the role of Saint-Germain in this story, then, we repeat, there is only indirect evidence for this. But the fact remains that the count "was a friend and confidant of Orlov", helped him in St. Petersburg on the eve of the coup of 1762, and even Orlov allegedly paid large sums to his "dear father" for predicting the future victories of Catherine II and for helping her to reign in the Russian throne. The friendship between Orlov and Saint-Germain survived for years and continued in Amsterdam, where the famous diamond was bought.

Another story is connected with the influence of Saint-Germain in Russia. Pushkin's The Queen of Spades tells of a card game played by the French queen, during which one Russian countess lost to the ground. And that was the real deal. The grandson of this "Moscow Venus" told Pushkin about him. Her name was Princess Natalia Petrovna Golitsyna. In her youth, she visited the French court. So, having lost then in Paris, she, according to the grandson of the princess, decided to resort to the help of the mysterious and wealthy Count Saint-Germain. What happened between him and the Russian princess is not exactly known, although the grandson claimed that his grandmother loved the count without memory and was angry if they spoke of him with disrespect. One way or another, she found it possible to turn to the count, knowing that he had a lot of money. I wrote him a note and asked him to come to her immediately. The Comte Saint-Germain immediately appeared, and she said that she hoped for his friendship and courtesy, and that he would help her with the necessary amount. “I can serve you with this amount,” he said, “but I know that you will not be calm until you pay me off, and I would not want to introduce you to new troubles. There is another remedy: you can recoup." “But, dear Count,” answered the grandmother, “I tell you that we have no money at all.” “Money is not needed here,” Saint-Germain objected. "Let me hear you out." Then he revealed to her a secret, for which anyone would give dearly ... ”Saint-Germain told the princess three cards, betting on which she would certainly win back.

Many years later, the grandson of Princess Golitsyn told Pushkin that once he lost and came to his grandmother to ask for money. She did not give him money, but told him three cards assigned to her in Paris by Saint-Germain.

Try it, Grandma said.

The grandson put the cards and played back.

The further development of Pushkin's story is all fictional. So, under the pen of Pushkin, the family tradition turned into a brilliant literary work.

All researchers agree that Pushkin used the story of a real case. Saint-Germain was indeed in Paris from the beginning of 1770 to 1774 and could well meet with the Russian princess, who was also there. He is just as accurate in describing the appearance of the Count of Saint-Germain and the princess herself, who served as the prototype for his heroine with her amazing story.

Little is known for certain about the death of the Count of Saint-Germain. Landgrave Karl of Hesse-Kassel, with whom Saint-Germain lived in the last years before his death, testified that the count died in his palace on February 27, 1784. There is an entry about this in the church book of the city of Eckernförd, and also that on March 2 he was buried here without publicity.

However, contemporaries doubted that this was the case and that the mysterious magician and wizard passed away like a mere mortal. M. P. Hall writes: "The strange circumstances connected with his departure make us suspect that his funeral was a sham", that "absolute obscurity surrounded his last days and that the announcement of his death cannot be trusted in any way."

H. P. Blavatsky expressed herself even more definitely. She notes: “Is it not ridiculous to suppose that if he really died at the indicated time in the indicated place, then he was laid in the ground without the pomp and ceremonies, official supervision and police registration that accompany the funeral of people of his rank and fame? Where is this information? No memoirs contain them, although he passed out of public view more than a hundred years ago. A man who lived in the bright light of full public illumination could not disappear, unless he actually died there and then, and leave no trace behind him. Moreover, in addition to this negative, we have reliable positive evidence that he lived for several more years after 1784. They say that in 1785 or 1786 he had the most important confidential meeting with the Russian Empress ... "In one of his prophecies, which are believed to refer to 1789-1790, Saint-Germain predicted:" I'm leaving. Someday we'll see each other again. I am very much needed now in Constantinople. Then I will go to England, where I have to prepare two inventions that you will hear about in the next century. We are talking about trains and ships. They will be needed in Germany. Later, there will be successive shifts in the seasons, especially striking changes await first spring, and then summer. All these are signs of the approach of the end of time, the completion of the cycle. I see it all. Believe me, astrologers and meteorologists know nothing. In order to have true knowledge, it is necessary to learn from the Pyramids. By the end of this century, I will disappear from Europe and go to the Himalayas. I need to rest. And I must find peace. Exactly 85 years later, I will again appear before the people. Farewell. May my love be with you."

In 1785, that is, a year after the official death of Saint-Germain, he was seen at the Masonic Assembly in Wilhelmsbad among such famous personalities as Cagliostro, Saint-Martin and Mesmer. We saw him in subsequent years. An anonymous author wrote: “I strongly believe that the Comte Saint-Germain is not dead. His enemies must have spread this rumor, and the old man is wandering somewhere among the shadows, that is, among us. I won't even dare to bet - ten to one - that at this time the respected count is not imprisoned in any Bastille.

In a word, contemporaries were sure that the Count of Saint-Germain did not die, and the message about his death was false. And back in the 1790s, news appeared that the real Count Saint-Germain was "now alive and well."

A hundred years later, books about St. Germain began to appear, in particular the famous Incidents from the Life of the Comte St. Germain by Mrs. Cooper-Oakley. She wrote: “The Comte Saint-Germain was a messenger from the higher beings who govern mankind in order to try to change the state of society in the eighteenth century and to provide what the encyclopedists and their school lacked: a basis on which to renew ideas and laws. Saint Germain tried in vain to influence the representatives of the privileged classes and the monarchical power in order to obtain from them concessions and reforms that would not allow popular passions to explode. He failed to fulfill his mission, and he disappeared without a trace ... This attempt failed, but the Count Saint-Germain nevertheless continues his work, and he will speak openly as soon as he sees fit, namely, in our era ... "

It was written a hundred years ago, at the very end of the 19th century. Interest in the mysterious count awakened again. The Theosophical Society that arose in those years and its founder H. P. Blavatsky proclaimed Saint-Germain their predecessor. (It was said about Blavatsky herself that "she was Saint-Germain of the 19th century.") And more and more often they recalled Voltaire's words about Saint-Germain that "this man is immortal." His unprecedented longevity was already explained in our century by the fact that "his powerful abilities allowed him to save the most natural prana."

He appeared in various incarnations, he was seen here and there. Thus, the theosophist C.W. Leadbeater claimed to have met this Oriental adept in 1926: “I met him under the most ordinary circumstances, without prior arrangement, as if by accident, while walking down Corso Boulevard in Rome. He was dressed like any Italian gentleman he came across. He took me to the garden on Pincio Hill, we sat down and talked for more than an hour about society and its future, or rather, he spoke, and I listened to him and answered only when he asked questions.

In 1935, S. W. Ballard's Mysteries Unveiled was published in Chicago by the Saint-Germain Press. In the preface, the author claims that the book was published under the direction of the Count Saint-Germain, who has been in America since 1930. The count is spoken of as an allegedly real person, with whom the author allegedly visited several temples in the Sahara. Journalist G. Smith conducted an investigation into everything that the author writes about, and found that "this whole story is just fiction and deception." Despite this, in the United States in the 30s of the XX century, a sect of ballardists arose who revere Saint Germain on a par with Jesus Christ.

As the historian E. B. Chernyak writes, contemporaries who witnessed many seemingly inexplicable actions and deeds of Saint Germain laid the first foundations for that fairy tale into which stories about his life turned. Back in the middle of the 19th century, Emperor Napoleon III ordered to collect everything that was preserved in the state archives about Saint-Germain. But then the Franco-Prussian war broke out, the siege of Paris began, and the building where the documents were stored burned down. The mystery has become even more impenetrable, and the count's personality even more mysterious. This was used in addition to Ballard, many writers. Books and articles about Saint-Germain came out one after another.

Appearance

Saint-Germain was a stocky and broad-shouldered man, according to contemporaries, he dressed with "magnificent refined simplicity" (Baron de Gleichen), "modestly, but with taste" (Mme du Osset, maid of Madame de Pompadour).

Origin

There is no reliable information about the origin of Saint Germain. According to the most common version - Portuguese Jew.

According to A.F. Stroev, a typical adventurer:

... a man without a homeland, without a clan and tribe, without age, like the "immortal" Count Saint-Germain, about whom it is not known whether he is a Spaniard, a Portuguese Jew, a Frenchman or a Hungarian, if not Russian.

Saint-Germain was also known as the illegitimate son of the Portuguese king or the princess of the Palatinate-Neuburg, the widow of the last Spanish Habsburg Charles II.

Count Karl von Koblenz in a letter dated April 8, 1763 to the First Minister Kaunitz:

He (Saint-Germain) seemed to me the most original of all the people whom I had the good fortune to know before. I find it difficult to speak with certainty about its origin. However, I fully admit that he may be the offspring of a very famous influential family, for one reason or another hiding his origin. Possessing a huge fortune, he is content with very little and lives very simply and unpretentiously. He knows, apparently, all the sciences. And at the same time, one feels in him a just and decent person, possessing all spiritual qualities worthy of praise.

Saint Germain, as stated in "Chroniques de l'Oeil de Boeuf" said to the Comtesse de Genlis: “Seven years old, I hid in the forests, and a reward was placed on my head. On the day of my birth, my mother, whom I was never destined to see again, tied a talisman with her portrait on my hand.. Saint-Germain, according to the author, showed this portrait to his interlocutor.

Path to Paris

On December 24, 1759, the Danish ambassador to France, Count von Wedel-Fries, wrote to his minister: “I cannot tell you exactly, dear sir, who he is in essence. No one, or almost no one, knows him. He spent many years here, while remaining unsolved.

Diplomatic mission during the Seven Years' War

In early 1760, the Count of Saint-Germain was sent by the king to The Hague on a secret mission. Baron de Gleichen reports that the French Marshal Belle-Ile, at the height of the Seven Years' War, tried to conclude a separate treaty with England and Prussia and thereby break the alliance between France and Austria, which rested on the authority of the French Foreign Minister - Choiseul. Louis XV, like Madame Pompadour, in secret from Choiseul, supported Belle-Ile's intentions through his own intelligence - the King's Secret, which often came into conflict with the Foreign Ministry. Marshal prepared all the necessary recommendations. The king personally handed them to Saint-Germain, along with a special cipher.

Important evidence of Saint Germain's political activities is the diplomatic correspondence between General York, the English representative in The Hague, and Lord Holderness in London, which, according to Cooper-Oakley, is in the archives of the British Museum. General York, in his letter dated March 14, 1760, wrote that he had spoken with Saint Germain about a possible truce between France and England. Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour and Marshal Belle-Ile authorized him to do this. In response, Lord Holderness, on behalf of King George II of Great Britain, reported that “Saint Germain may indeed be authorized to conduct such negotiations ... We are also interested in this, because everything that contributes to the speedy progress towards the desired goal is important to us ...” .

The minister of the Saxon court in The Hague, Kauderbach, reported that he had a conversation with Saint-Germain about the causes of the difficulties that befell France. According to Kauderbach, Saint-Germain was an attorney for Marshal Belle-Ile, for which he had letters of credence. Saint Germain intended to carry out the plans of the Marshal and Madame Pompadour to conclude a treaty with England through the mediation of Holland, and that for this purpose Saint Germain had established relations with Count Bentinck, President of the Council of Plenipotentiaries of the Province of Holland. While in Holland, on March 11, 1760, Saint-Germain wrote a letter to Madame Pompadour, in which he said: “You must also know my devotion to you, madam. Therefore, give orders, and I am at your service. You can bring peace to Europe without the tedious and complicated manipulation of Congress…” .

The French ambassador to Holland, Comte d'Affrey, wrote to Choiseul about the financial projects of Saint-Germain and that he wanted to obtain a huge loan for France. According to P. Andremont, the amount was to be 30 million florins; money affairs, from his point of view, served as a cover for diplomatic intrigues.

After learning about the mission of Saint-Germain, Choiseul "insisted on the public disavowal of Saint-Germain and his expulsion from Holland." From a letter from the English General York to Lord Holderness dated April 4, 1760: "The Duke of Choiseul seems to be making desperate attempts to discredit this man (Saint-Germain) and prevent his interference in matters of national importance". From a letter from the French Ambassador to Holland, d'Affrey, to the Duke of Choiseul dated April 5, 1760: “If we fail to discredit him (Saint-Germain) in any way, then he will be very dangerous for us, especially in the current situation”.

As a result, Louis XV abolished the powers of Saint-Germain. The official statement of Ambassador d'Affrey, published on April 30, 1760, states that "His Majesty orders that this adventurer be declared a person not worthy of trust" ("reclamer cet aventurier comme un homme sans aveu").

Alchemy and other projects. Doubles and imitators

Madame Osse in her memoirs described the case of how Saint-Germain, at the request of the king, eliminated the defect in the diamond, which delighted him. To the king's questions The Count didn't really answer. However, he confirmed that he can enlarge pearls and give them a special shine.. The king kept this diamond as a keepsake. She also claimed that “His Majesty, apparently, is completely blinded by the talents of Saint Germain and at times speaks of him as if he were a person of the highest origin”

Another famous adventurer Giacomo Casanova, a rival of Saint-Germain, whom he called “black” and criticized in pamphlets, wrote about Saint-Germain: “ This extraordinary man (Saint-Germain), a born deceiver, without any hesitation, as if about something taken for granted, said that he was 300 years old, that he possessed a panacea for all diseases, that nature had no secrets from him, that he knows how to melt diamonds and from ten to twelve small ones make one large one, of the same weight and, moreover, of the purest water» .

In his memoirs, Casanova described the incident when he had to meet Saint-Germain for the last time. This happened in Tournai, in the house of the count himself. The count asked Casanova for a coin, he gave him 12 sous. Throwing a small black seed on it, Saint-Germain put the coin on the coal and heated it with a blowpipe. Two minutes later, the coin also became red-hot. After a minute it cooled down, and Saint-Germain gave it to Casanova. " I began to examine the coin. Now she was golden. I never doubted for a moment that I was holding my coin<…>Saint Germain simply could not quietly replace one coin with another". Then he adds: " That coin really looked like gold, and two months later in Berlin I sold it to Field Marshal Keith, who showed great interest in the unusual gold coin of 12 sous. .

After all her statements, Casanova adds: “ Oddly enough, as if against my will, the count unconsciously surprises me, he managed to amaze me ...»

In 1759-1760, Saint-Germain turned to Madame de Pompadour and the Danish King Frederick V with a number of projects where he proposed to build an unsinkable fast ship without sails and a recoilless rapid-fire gun that could be controlled by one person:

Great knowledge allows me to do great things. I am completely free and completely independent; but the virtuous and amiable King of Denmark, with his truly royal virtues, conquered me. I long to serve him usefully and marvelously. Among other great undertakings that I have conceived for him, I promise to send his royal standard in a seven-gun admiral's ship to the East Indies in a month or less, without complicating the design of the vessel, which will not be afraid of either Dangers or ordinary Maritime Troubles ... and the most wonderful that there will be no masts on it, except for a sentinel, no sails, no sailors, for any person will be fit for this wonderful and new Navigation. I enriched this amazing Invention with a cannon that does not recoil and therefore does not need a carriage on Wheels, which shoots ten times faster than any other in the same Interval of Time, which does not warm up at all, which with an aimed shot splits a rope or Volos in two , and which one Man can serve with amazing Speed; besides, it shoots farther, occupies very little space, and has other great advantages.

In the correspondence accompanying this message, the Danish Ambassador von Wedel-Fries and Foreign Minister von Bernstorff noted:

“His projects seemed to me so extensive, not to say paradoxical, that I wanted to get rid of him, but his persistent requests forced me to yield ...” and: “We, Dear Sir, do not appreciate lovers of secrets and projects; it seems to us that the honor of the King urgently demands that the public should not think that His Majesty is bringing people like him closer ... "

From Casanova's Memoirs:

The count provided the ladies with ointments and cosmetics that made them more beautiful. Saint Germain did not instill in them hope for rejuvenation, modestly admitting his impotence here, but promised that they would be well preserved thanks to his infusion.

According to the memoirs of Baron Gleichen, Saint-Germain spoke about Francis I with details that only an eyewitness could know, and, captivating the listeners, let out: "And then I told him ...".

At the same time, imitators and "doubles" appeared in Saint-Germain in Paris:

A certain Parisian rake, known as "my lord Gower", was an inimitable mime and wandered around the Parisian salons, posing as Saint Germain, naturally heavily caricatured. However, many people perceived this amusing figure as a real Saint-Germain.

From the memoirs of Baron Gleichen:

Minor characters were also invented, for example, the old servant of the count. Cardinal de Roan once heard a story about a dinner at Pontius Pilate, turning to the valet of the Saint-Germain, or rather, to the one who pretended to be him, asked if this was true. To which he replied: “Oh no, monsignor, it was before me. After all, I have served Mr. Count for only 400 years ... "

Euro-trip

In 1777, in Germany, Saint-Germain met with D. I. Fonvizin. On December 1, 1777, Fonvizin, in a letter to his relatives, called him “the first charlatan in the world,” and on March 20 (31), 1778 he wrote to P.I. and to his proposal, with which he promised me mountains of gold, he answered with gratitude, telling him that if he had only projects useful for Russia, he could take them to our chargé d'affaires in Dresden. My wife took his medicine, but without any success; I am indebted for its healing to the Montpellier climate and nut oil.”

There is information about the "appearance" of the Count of Saint-Germain at Masonic meetings in 1785, that is, later than the generally accepted date of his death (see above).

Names and aliases

In different countries of Europe, Count Saint-Germain used the following names: General Saltykov, Prince Rakosi, Count Tsarogi, Marquis de Montferat, Count de Bellamy, Count de Veldon.

Musical compositions

A significant part of the musical works of the Count of Saint-Germain was published during the author's lifetime in Great Britain. It has been hypothesized that in fact many of them were created outside its territory and only printed there. The exclusive right to publish the Earl's musical works was originally granted to Walsh's publishing house (a document signed by the Secretary of State Newcastle dated November 27, 1749, has been preserved).

Among the vocal works of Saint-Germain: English songs (op. 4-7), Italian arias (op. 8-46). There is no connection between them, they do not form cycles and are not intended for a lost opera, despite the fact that some of them are emphatically dramatic. Sometimes vocal works were written to their own text. It has been suggested that they were intended for music practice as exercise.

The Count's instrumental works: six trio sonatas for two violins and basso continuo (Op. 47-52, they were published in 1750 by Walsh and have the title "Six sonatas for two violins with bass for harpsichord or cello, written by SSSS Saint-Germain ”) and seven solo sonatas for violin and basso continuo (Op. 53-39, published in 1758 by J. Johnson).

Trio sonatas and solo violin sonatas are different in style. Trio sonatas have three or four movements. Usually the last movement is slow, written in 3/4 time. The trio sonatas are written in the late Baroque style. Solo violin sonatas always consist of four parts: Adagio, Allegro, Andante and again Allegro. They are designed in the Rococo style. Basso continuo in them is only a set of consecutive chords without an independent melodic line. There are an abundance of trills and other virtuoso elements, often redundant. The documents also mention the Comte Saint-Germain as an organizer of public concerts and a violinist. There is evidence of his close acquaintance with Christoph Willibald Gluck, Francesco Saverio Geminiani and other major composers and musicians of his time.

The musical works of Saint-Germain, after a long oblivion, were published in Los Angeles in 1981. The first major public concert, at which only the works of Saint-Germain were performed, took place on November 28, 2002, in the Baltic town of Eckernfjord. The Count's compositions were performed by Ensemble Phoenix at the initiative of cellist Matthias Hahn-Engel. They have been recorded on DVD and CD numerous times since. The most significant is the edition of the compositions of the Comte Saint-Germain on three CDs, interpreted by Ensemble Phoenix. In Russia, the Sonata for violin and basso continuo in C minor entered the repertoire of the ensemble “Soloists Catherine the Great” (St. Petersburg).

Works about Saint Germain

Saint-Germain is dedicated to the monograph by L. A. Langeveld "Comte de Saint-Germain" ( Langeveld L.A. Der Graf von Saint-Germain. - Berlin: La Haye, 1930) and P. Andremond "Three Lives of the Comte de Saint-Germain" ( Andremont P. Les trois vies du comte de Saint-Germain. - Geneve, 1979.).

The latest book published abroad about Saint-Germain is the book by Patrick Riviere, published in Paris in 1995, Secrets and Mysteries of the Occult: Saint-Germain and Cagliostro.

In the context of the cultural phenomenon of the 18th century adventurer, the life of Saint-Germain is considered in the work of A. F. Stroev "Those who correct fortune: adventurers of enlightenment", published in 1997 in French in the "Presses Universitaires de France", and then in 1998 in Russian (prepared at the Department of Western Literature of the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

Occult and Theosophical Version of Saint Germain's Biography

There are stories that Saint-Germain was seen after his death in 1784, and various kinds of prophecies are attributed to him.

Comte Saint-Germain is a revered figure among occultists and theosophists of the 20th-21st centuries, who consider him one of the most important figures in European history of the 18th century. From this circle came the work of the famous figure of the Theosophical Society, Isabelle Cooper-Oakley (-), entitled " Count Saint Germain. The secret of kings". Initially, excerpts from this work were published in the London Theosophical Journal for -1898, and then the book appeared in full edition in 1912.

The work of Isabelle Cooper-Oakley is accompanied by a solid appendix in the form of a selection of archival documents (business and diplomatic correspondence for the -1780s) associated with the name of the mysterious earl. Isabelle Cooper-Oakley refers to the will of Prince Rakoczy, where not two are mentioned, as in most sources, but three of his sons: St. Charles, St. Elizabeth and Charles of Hesse, whom she identifies with St. Germain, who was under the patronage of the last Medici. The execution of the will was entrusted to the "Duke of Bourbon" (actually of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV), as well as to the Duke of Maine and the "Duke of Charleroi-Toulouse" (actually the Count of Toulouse) - the illegitimate sons of Louis XIV. It was to their care, according to this text, that Prince Rakoczy gave his third son, who was entitled to an impressive share of the inheritance.

The French writer, owner of the largest occult publishing house "Shakornak", editor-in-chief of the "Astrological Journal" Paul Shakornak wrote the book "Comte de Saint-Germain", which in the preface is declared as "the most comprehensive study on this topic, of those written in French ". The first edition was published in 1947, then the book was reprinted twice. Shakornak claims that the vast archive of information collected about Saint-Germain under Napoleon III on the orders of the emperor burned down during the September Revolution of 1870.

Paul Chacornac restored in detail the biographies of several of Saint-Germain's contemporaries of the same name, who, in his view, were often confused with the Count. First of all, this is Count Robert Claude-Louis de Saint-Germain, French Minister, Secretary of State for Military Affairs, Field Marshal in the service of the Danish King, Commander of the Order of the Elephant, Lieutenant General (-), famous for his military talents and in 1775 appointed by Louis XVI Minister of War, after the death of Marshal de Muy. Shakornak believes that many of the well-known episodes in which participation is attributed to the Comte Saint-Germain actually tell about the minister.

The leading figures of the theosophical movement, H. P. Blavatsky and H. I. Roerich, believed that the epithet "adventurer" attached to Saint-Germain was an insinuation, and that he really was a student of Indian and Egyptian hierophants, a connoisseur of the secret wisdom of the East.

... What is offered as evidence that Saint Germain was an "adventurer", that he aspired to "play the role of a sorcerer" or that he swindled money from the profane. There is not a single confirmation here that he was someone else than he seemed, namely: the owner of huge funds that helped him honestly maintain his position in society. He claimed to know how to melt small diamonds into large ones, and how to transform metals, and backed up his claims with untold riches and a collection of diamonds of rare size and beauty. Are "adventurers" like that? Do charlatans enjoy for many years the trust and admiration of the most intelligent statesmen and nobility of Europe?<…>Has anything been found among the papers of the secret archives of at least one of these courts that speaks in favor of this version? Not a single word, not a single proof of this vile slander has ever been found. It's just a vicious lie. The way Western writers treated this great man, this student of Indian and Egyptian hierophants and expert in the secret wisdom of the East, is a disgrace to all mankind. In the same way, this stupid world treated everyone who, like Saint Germain, after long years of seclusion devoted to the study of the sciences and the comprehension of esoteric wisdom, again visited him, hoping to make him better, wiser and happier ...

One may recall how the Swedish king Charles XII received a strong warning not to start a fatal campaign against Russia, which put an end to the development of his state. Since the publication of the diary of the Countess d'Adhémar, a court lady who was under the ill-fated Marie Antoinette, the fact of the queen's repeated warning through letters and personal meetings, through the same countess, about the impending danger to the country, the entire royal house and many of their friends, has become widely known. And, invariably, all these warnings came from the same source, from the Comte Saint-Germain, a member of the Himalayan Community. But all his saving warnings and advice were taken as an insult and deceit. He was persecuted and threatened with the Bastille more than once. The tragic consequences of these denials are well known to all."

In occult and theosophical works, Saint-Germain appears as a composer, his musical compositions, many of which are allegedly stored in Russia, are mentioned by Shakornak and the first vice-president of the International Public Organization “International Center of the Roerichs” Lyudmila Shaposhnikova.

Image in culture

• German Kesten. The novel "Casanova", 1952: Saint-Germain is one of the characters.
• Irina Saburova. Fantastic story-dystopia "After", 1960: Saint-Germain is one of the main characters.
• Boris Akunin. Mirror of Saint Germain.
• One of the characters in the novel Dragonfly in Amber Diana Gabeldon, set in 18th century Paris.
• Nikolay Dubov. "Wheel of Fortune": a novel about Saint Germain's journey to Russia.
• Irena Tetzlaf. Count Saint Germain. The light in the darkness"
• Mikhail Ishkov. "Saint Germain"
• Mikhail Volkonsky. "The Will of Fate": the story of the accession to the throne of Catherine II with the participation of Saint-Germain.
• One of the characters in the novel about the American Revolution "Two Crowns for America" Katherine Kurtz.
• Friend of the protagonist in The Red Lion: The Elixir of Eternal Life Mary the Impaler.
• Featured in the novel about magic and metaphysics "The Cosmic Logos" Tracey Harding.
• Character in The Sanctuary Raymond Khoury.
• Chelsea Quinn Yarbrough.“Hotel Transylvania”, 1978. Mystical novel. The name Saint Germain is the ever-living vampire who has entered the fight against the dark forces. There are about two dozen more novels by the same author that continue this series. See about the series en:Count Saint-Germain (vampire) .
• The character of the novel "King's Cross" Vadim Panov and one of the keepers of the Black Book.
• The prototype of the protagonist of the novel Bulwer-Lytton"Zanoni", according to critics, served Saint Germain.
• One of the heroes of the historical novel E. Kapandu"Knight of the Coop"
• Like Prince Senzher in the novel by K. E. Antarova "Two Lives"
• The character of the trilogy about time travel by the German writer Kerstin Gier
• The main character in the novel Messadier Gerald "Saint-Germain. The man who didn't want to die."
• Edward Radzinsky. The novel "Iron Mask and Count Saint-Germain", 2010.
• In Darya Dontsova's book Matryoshka in Feathers, Veniamin Podolsky claimed to be Count Saint-Germain.

"Timeless. The Emerald Book" is a 2016 German film based on the Kerstin Geer trilogy. One of the time travelers, founder of a secret lodge in the Temple

• Molière pour rire et pour pleurer, 1965. Television series about

Saint Germain

SAINT GERMAIN, Count. Modern writers speak of him as a mysterious person. Frederick II, King of Prussia, liked to say that he was a man no one could ever figure out. His "biographies" are many, and one is more fantastic than the other. Some considered him an incarnate god, others - a wise Alsatian Jew. But one thing is certain, the Comte de Saint Germain - whatever his real name - was entitled to this name and title, since he bought the estate of San Germano in the Italian Tyrol, and paid the pope for this title. He was extraordinarily handsome, and his great erudition and linguistic abilities are undeniable, for he spoke English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, Swedish, Danish and many other Slavic and Oriental languages ​​with as much ease as any native of these countries. He was very wealthy, never took a sou from another - in fact never took even a glass of water or a piece of bread from anyone - but made the most extravagant gifts of superb jewels to all his friends and even to the royal families of Europe. He had excellent musical ability; He played all the instruments, but his favorite was the violin. "Saint Germain competed with Paganini himself," said an eighty-year-old Belgian of him in 1835, after listening to the "Maestro of Genoa." "This is the resurrected Saint Germain, playing the violin in the body of an Italian skeleton," exclaimed one Lithuanian baron who happened to hear both. He never claimed to possess spiritual powers, yet he proved himself entitled to such a claim. He spent in a dead trance, without awakening, from thirty-seven to forty-nine hours, and after that he knew everything he needed to know, and proved it by prophecies about the future, never wrong. It was he who prophesied to kings Louis XV and XVI, and to the unfortunate Marie Antoinette. At the beginning of this century (XIX), many witnesses of his wonderful memory were still alive; he could read an article in the morning, and although he skimmed through it only with a cursory glance, he could repeat its content without missing a single word, many days later; could write with both hands at the same time, with the right a poem, with the left a diplomatic document of the greatest importance. He read sealed letters without touching them while they were still in the hands of those who brought them to him. He was the greatest adept in transmuting metals, making gold and the finest diamonds, an art which he said he learned from some Brahmins in India, who taught him the artificial crystallization ("animation") of pure carbon. As our Brother Kennett Mackenzie writes: "In 1780, when he was visiting the French ambassador in The Hague, he smashed with a hammer a magnificent diamond of his own manufacture, a duplicate of which, also of his own manufacture, he had just sold to a jeweler for 5,500 louis." He was a friend and confidant of Count Orlov in 1772 in Vienna, whom he helped and whom he saved in 1762 in St. Petersburg, when he was involved in the famous political conspiracies of that time; he was also on close terms with the Prussian Frederick the Great. It goes without saying that he had numerous enemies, so it is not surprising that all the gossip spread about him is now attributed to him: for example, that he was over five hundred years old, or that he claimed to be personally acquainted "with the Savior and his twelve apostles, and reproved Peter for his bad temper" - the latter somewhat contradicts the former in time, if he really declared that he was only five hundred years old. If he said that he was "born in Chaldea, and admitted that he possessed the secrets of the Egyptian magicians and sages," then he could well be telling the truth without making any supernatural claims. There are Initiates, and not even the highest ones, who are able to remember more than one of their former lives. But we have good reasons for believing that Saint Germain could never claim to have "personal acquaintance" with the Savior. Be that as it may, Comte Saint Germain was by far the greatest Oriental Adept that Europe has seen in the last centuries. But Europe did not recognize him. Some, perhaps, will recognize it at the next "Terreur" which, when it breaks out, will shake the whole of Europe, and not just one country.

Source: "Theosophical Dictionary"

See what "Saint Germain" is in other dictionaries:

French pronunciation of the name of St. Herman of Paris. Contents 1 Personalities 2 Toponyms 2.1 Belgium 2.2 ... Wikipedia

- (Saint Germain) (about 1710 about 1784), count, one of the most mysterious adventurers in Europe of the 18th century. Data on the origin of the Count of Saint Germain is not available; this is a fictitious name. Around 1748, he appeared at the court of Louis XV of Bourbon (see LOUIS ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Saint Germain- SAINT GERMAINE Saint Germain. 1. Variety of very sweet and tender pear. Chudinov 1902. Three varieties of pears are known for sale, that is, foreign .. Saint Germain are delivered from France, they are sold from 1r. 50 kop. up to 3 p. for ten. Radetzky 1855 3 … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

- (fr. Saint german). A variety of very sweet and tender pear. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Commune of Saint Germain du Seudre Saint Germain du Seudre city hall ... Wikipedia

Commune Saint Germain de Joux Saint Germain de Joux Country FranceFrance ... Wikipedia

SAINT GERMAIN- Modern writers speak of him as a mysterious person. Frederick II, King of Prussia, liked to say that he was a man no one could ever figure out. His biographies are many, and one is more fantastic than the other. Some thought... ... Theosophical Dictionary

City of Saint Germain en Les Saint Germain en Laye Country FranceFrance ... Wikipedia

Saint Germain en Les Saint Germain en Laye Country France Region Ile de France (region) Department of Yvelines Subprefecture of Saint Germain en Les Number of cantons 16 Number of communes 45 Population ... Wikipedia

The eternal youth and immortality of the Count of Saint-Germain gave rise to a lot of legends. Did he really become the owner of the philosopher's stone?

1. What is Count Saint-Germain famous for?
2. Unsolved Birth Mystery
3. What abilities and talents did Saint Germain have?
4. Reliable fact of the VIII century!
5. What mark did Saint Germain leave in history?
6. Can you believe in death?

Why is Comte Saint-Germain famous?

Historians are unanimous that Comte Saint-Germain had outstanding abilities and was a skilled alchemist. Saint Germain's dream was to have a "projection powder" or "philosopher's stone" that could turn base metals into silver or gold. But not only!

According to legend, the magical power of the stone made it possible to obtain the elixir of eternal life and youth.

The Count probably managed to discover this secret, and here's why ...

Unsolved Birth Mystery!

According to some sources, the Comte Saint-Germain¹ was born at the end of the seventeenth century. The genealogy compiled by Annie Besant indicates that Count Saint-Germain is the legitimate son of Prince Francis Rakoczi II of Transylvania, who was born in 1690.

However, other sources mention that Count Saint-Germain lived at the beginning of our era during the time of Jesus Christ and walked at a wedding in Cana, where Jesus Christ made wine from water.

What abilities and talents did Saint Germain have?

Those who personally knew the count were amazed at his unique abilities. It seemed that he could and knew everything.

Count Saint Germain:

• created magnificent art canvases;
• virtuoso played the violin;
• knew European languages, Chinese, Arabic, ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Latin;
• engaged in alchemical experiments;
• created effective creams and drugs for wrinkles, hair dyes;
• improved the technique of coloring precious and semi-precious stones;
• assured that he could make one large one from several small diamonds;
• he could also grow pearls and enlarge them to any size;
• He was a member of several secret societies, was associated with the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, the Templars, the Freemasons, the Knights of the Light and the Asiatic Brethren Society.

Saint Germain seemed to be a very rich man. Almost all clothes and shoes were full of expensive stones and gems. However, nothing was known about his fortune or bank accounts.

The Comte Saint-Germain was almost always present at balls and dinner parties, but no one had ever seen him eat at least something. Saint-Germain joked that he was on an eternal diet of oatmeal.

The French writer and philosopher Voltaire² said of Saint Germain:

"He is immortal, and his knowledge is limitless!"

Everyone believed that the awareness and versatile knowledge of the Count of Saint-Germain was due to his extraordinary superpower of learning. But the most interesting fact happened in the middle of 1760, and it prompted contemporaries to think about the count's immortality...

Reliable fact of the VIII century

This incident took place in Paris. Countess von Georius Heard invited Madame de Pompadour³, the former mistress of Louis XV⁴, to dinner to introduce her to the Comte de Saint-Germain. The elderly lady immediately agreed to come, she was interested in meeting the count, since she had already met him in Venice at the beginning of 1710.

Seeing Saint-Germain, the Countess de Pompadour was extremely surprised and even frightened.

She noticed that he had not aged at all since that time!

“Perhaps you are the son of that count whom I met half a century ago?” asked de Pompadour.

“You are mistaken, madam. I myself lived then in Venice, and was happy to meet you.

– But how can this be? When we met, Comte Saint-Germain was forty years old! And now you will not give more!

“Yes, madame, I am already old,” said Saint Germain with a smile.

- But, excuse me, then you are already almost 100 years old ?! exclaimed the countess.

“I assure you, madam, I’m definitely not a hundred,” said the count, and recalled the details of their last meeting.

What mark did Saint Germain leave in history?

Count Saint-Germain repeatedly appeared on the stage of history and made acquaintance with the most famous and influential people: Louis XV, Catherine the Great⁵, Madame de Pompadour, Casanova⁶, Voltaire, Mesmer⁷ and others. But the most interesting thing is that, according to eyewitnesses, his appearance is not changed over the years.

Everyone who knew the Count of Saint-Germain confirmed that over the years he looked no older than 40 or 45.

Saint-Germain earned the full confidence of Louis XV and from 1740 carried out secret assignments of the king in France and other countries. Therefore, in the middle of 1760, he went on a special mission to The Hague, where he met the famous Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, who later spoke of him as follows:

“This extraordinary man surprised and amazed me! It seemed that he had power over the nature of things and time. He shared his experience with metals and precious stones with ease and indifference, as if for him this was some insignificant trifle.

Count Saint-Germain ended up in Russia in 1774 ...

He took part in a conspiracy that granted the Russian throne to Great Catherine. Subsequently, Saint-Germain served as an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the imperial Russian troops in the war with Turkey, in that war Russia won.

The count returned to France in 1774, when Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI ascended the French throne. The count warned them more than once about the upcoming revolution, but they did not take his words seriously.

A few years later, Saint Germain went to Hamburg, where he befriended Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel and lived at his court in Eckenförde for about five years. There, according to the records, in the winter of 1784 he died.

Can you trust death?

Despite historical confirmation and death records, historians have every reason to believe that Saint Germain either did not die or resurrected) Why?

1. In 1785, Count Saint-Germain appeared in Germany and spent some time with Anton Mesmer, the progenitor of hypnosis. It is believed that Saint-Germain taught Mesmer the basics of hypnotic influence and the ideas of magnetism, which he himself owned.

2. In the archives of the Masonic fraternity, official documents have been preserved, which record that the Count of Saint-Germain was present at the meetings and was even appointed a representative of the Masonic lodge.

3. During the days of the revolution in France, the Countess d'Adhémar spoke about her meetings and conversations with Saint-Germain. The count told her about the future of France, as if he had clairvoyance and knew everything in advance.

Researchers biography of Saint-Germain agree that after 1821 he changed his appearance.

In his memoirs, Albert Vandamme recounted his meeting with Major Fraser, who bore a striking resemblance to the Comte Saint-Germain:

“He introduced himself as Major Fraser, lived in seclusion and never thought about family or loved ones. The major lavished money, although no one had any idea about his income or savings. He impressed with his awareness of the historical events that took place in European countries in any period of time. His memory was amazing in its perfection. The major repeatedly made it clear to his interlocutors and listeners that he gained knowledge not in teaching and books, but in a different way. The historical facts and details that he told with a strange smile left no doubt that he personally knew Nero, talked with Dante, etc.”

Some time later, the major disappeared without a trace.

In the years 1880-1900, the name of the Count of Saint-Germain surfaced once again among the members of the Theosophical Society, which was created, which assured that the Count was alive and working in the direction of "the spiritual development of the West." The most interesting thing is that allegedly there is even a genuine photograph, where Blavatsky and the count are captured together.

So who was the Comte Saint-Germain?

A time traveler or a brilliant alchemist who managed to develop incredible superpowers, reveal the secrets of immortality and eternal youth?

Notes and feature articles for a deeper understanding of the material

¹ Comte Saint-Germain - Enlightenment adventurer, traveler, alchemist and occultist (Wikipedia).

² Voltaire (November 21, 1694 - May 30, 1778) - one of the greatest French Enlightenment philosophers of the 18th century: poet, prose writer, satirist, tragedian, historian, publicist (Wikipedia).

³ Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (December 29, 1721 - April 15, 1764), better known as the Marquise de Pompadour, was the official mistress (since 1745) of the French King Louis XV, who for 20 years had a huge influence on public affairs, patronized the sciences and arts ( Wikipedia).

⁴ Louis XV (February 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774) - King of France from September 1, 1715 from the Bourbon dynasty (Wikipedia).

⁵ Catherine II Alekseevna the Great (April 21, 1729 - November 6, 1796) - Empress of All Russia from 1762 to 1796 (Wikipedia).

⁶ Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (April 2, 1725 - June 4, 1798) - famous Italian adventurer, traveler and writer, author of a detailed autobiography "The Story of My Life" (Wikipedia).

⁷ Franz Anton Mesmer (May 23, 1734 - March 5, 1815) - German physician and healer, creator of the doctrine of "animal magnetism" - mesmerism (

Comte Saint Germain reveals secret centuries later

Count Saint Germain. No one knew exactly where and when the illustrious count was born, which allowed him to easily talk about his meetings with celebrities who died hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The count was fluent in German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, he also knew oriental languages, so it was completely impossible to establish which of them was his native.

His colorful stories about exotic countries simply amazed the audience. It is no wonder that the count aroused extreme curiosity and many tried to find out his ins and outs by bribing the servants.

The old servant took the offered money, but stated that he knew nothing about the pedigree of the count and his past, since he had served him for only ... 300 years!

After such an answer, the people around decided that Count Saint Germain knew the secret of making the elixir of immortality. And soon there were witnesses who claimed to have seen the count decades ago, and since then he has not changed at all.

In historical documents, the name of the Comte de Saint-Germain was first mentioned in 1745, when he, who had already lived in England for two years, was arrested for bringing letters in support of the Stuarts. After the suppression of the Jacobin rebellion in this country, foreigners were treated with distrust, especially those who poke their nose into its internal affairs. Count Saint Germain spent several weeks under house arrest; he was interrogated, but found out only two circumstances:

he lives under a false name and does not want to have anything to do with women.

In 1746, Comte Saint Germain left London and disappeared for twelve years. There is no mention of where he spent those years; presumably engaged in alchemy in Germany or traveled to India and Tibet.

They didn’t really know anything about Count Saint Germain in France, there were only rumors that he was very rich and had phenomenal abilities. And soon Louis XV received a mysterious letter from the count. Count Saint Germain wrote that "the king may need him and for some reason - which is not the time to expand - he could help him."

The all-powerful monarch was extremely intrigued by how this strange man, whom many called an adventurer and rogue, could help him. Despite the negative attitude towards Saint Germain of his entourage, Louis XV invited the Count to France and even provided him with Chambord Castle, and in return Count Saint Germain promised Louis to do everything for his well-being.

In early 1758, Count Saint Germain arrived in France. In Chambord Castle, he placed a laboratory, assistants and workers.

True, he himself preferred to spend time not at melting furnaces and chemical retorts, but in the salons of the French nobility. The count dressed beautifully, large diamonds sparkled on the buttons of his jacket and buckles of his shoes, and a diamond ring adorned his little finger, which he used to rotate.

He looked forty or fifty years old, exactly the same as twelve years ago in England: time seemed to have stopped for him ...

The old Countess de Cergy recognized in him a man whom she met in Venice fifty years ago ... The lady swore that since then he had not changed at all!

Count Saint Germain did not refute the rumors about his immortality and even skillfully warmed them up. He played the violin superbly, understood the intricacies of political intrigue and owned a rich collection of precious stones. His influence and popularity grew day by day.

The most beautiful secular lionesses dreamed of an affair with him, but he skillfully bypassed the traps set by them, remaining inaccessible.

In May 1758, at a dinner at the Marquise Durfe, Saint-Germain met Casanova, about which the latter wrote in his Memoirs:

« Count Saint Germain wanted to seem unusual, to surprise everyone, and often he succeeded. His tone was very confident, but so thoughtful that it didn't evoke irritation."

The King of France dreamed of using the Count's knowledge for his own purposes, for example, to learn the secret of turning various metals into gold. In addition, Louis, constantly afraid of being poisoned, was extremely interested in whether there was a universal antidote.

Count Saint Germain did not give direct answers to the king's questions, but encouraged him, promising to do everything possible for the welfare of his royal patron.

Soon, Louis XV was actually convinced of the talents of Saint-Germain. He complained to the count that his diamond had a noticeable defect - a large stain. A few days later, Saint-Germain returned it completely transparent. It is not known how he managed to fix the defect. Experts are sure that he simply cut exactly the same diamond.

After that, Louis finally believed in the ability of Saint-Germain, and he became his man at court. Of course, not everyone was to their liking. The first minister of the king, the powerful Duke of Choiseul, especially disliked the count. He constantly repeated to the monarch that Saint-Germain was a rogue and should either be imprisoned in the Bastille or expelled from the country.

One day, Louis drank a glass of wine while falconry and fell ill with severe pains in his stomach. He ordered the count to be called to him. He appeared in the chambers of Louis immediately, recalled that at one time he wrote that he would definitely come in handy for the king.

Comte Saint Germain examined the patient's palate and tongue and demanded goat's milk. Having mixed the powders in it, he gave the weakening Louis the drug to drink, and soon he calmly fell asleep.

The count not only saved the king, but also pointed out the poisoner - the Duke of Choiseul, however, Louis did not believe him. Saint Germain reassured the king that there would be no more attempts and he would die a natural death. The French monarch was delighted with such news, but refused to know the day and hour of his death.

By the way, Count Saint Germain could actually name the day and hour of the death of the French king: he became famous for very accurate predictions. It was rumored that he owes this phenomenal ability to a magic mirror in which one could supposedly see future events, the fate of people and states.

According to the legends, the magic mirror once belonged to Nostradamus and it was with his help that he became known as the greatest soothsayer. Catherine de Medici also wrote about its existence in her diary. When Nostradamus showed her this magical item, she saw in it the bloody events of the Bartholomew night and the death of Henry III.

Whether Count Saint Germain possessed a mysterious mirror or was simply a talented clairvoyant is unknown, but his prophecies really came true.

The ability of the mysterious count to predict events, his knowledge of poisons and antidotes attracted the close attention of the king's mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour, to him. Deciding that such a knowledgeable person would be extremely useful to her, the Marquise decided to "tame" him.

Realizing that he did not need money and positions, and nothing could intimidate him, she decided to use her charms. Pompadour knew that all attempts of secular beauties to seduce the count ended in failure, so she was driven by excitement - to do what others failed to do.

The favorite invited the count to her, citing illness. However, Saint-Germain seemed to read her thoughts and behaved with a coquette quite boldly. To begin with, he stated that the reason for the malaise was overeating, then he reproached him for senseless hatred of Queen Mary, and in the end he named the exact date of her death.

Needless to say, after such a "heartfelt" communication, the Marquise de Pompadour became the worst enemy of Saint-Germain.

She even tried to put him in the Bastille, but Louis came to the defense of his savior, refusing to comply with the insistent request of the favorite. Then Pompadour, together with Choiseul, developed a cunning plan, advising the king to send Saint-Germain to negotiate in The Hague.

He skillfully defended the interests of France, but was soon arrested on charges of preparing the murder of Queen Mary, wife of Louis XV. The reason was a letter that Saint-Germain allegedly dropped, in which he outlined this insidious plan.

The letter, no doubt, was a fake, but before the circumstances were clarified, the count was thrown into a Dutch prison, from where he, of course, fled.

But how did Comte Saint Germain, who was able to foresee events, let himself be lured into a trap? Most likely, he knew that everything would end well, and used this story to simply leave France, where he stayed too long.

After that, Saint Germain was seen in England, Italy, Saxony, Prussia and even in Russia on the eve of the 1762 coup, when Catherine II came to power. It is possible that the count was directly related to this.

In any case, there are references to the meeting of Saint-Germain with Alexei Orlov. And one German, who served at that time in Russia, wrote in his memoirs that one day a drunken Grigory Orlov told him about the true spring of the coup:

“If not for Count Saint Germain, nothing would have happened ...”

In 1766, Saint Germain took refuge with the Prussian King Frederick II, but the next year he moved to the Prince of Hesse, in Gottorp in the Baltic. According to the prince, Saint-Germain died in 1784, he was ninety-three years old, although he looked no older than sixty. Rumors soon spread that the “dead man” was at the Masonic Congress in 1785, and Marie Antoinette claimed that Count Saint Germain had warned her months in advance of an imminent revolution.

The count was seen in 1788, 1793, 1814. Then everyone who knew him from the turbulent 18th century left this world. True, rogues sometimes appeared who tried to use the name of the count for personal purposes, but they had nothing to do with Saint-Germain.

Who was the mysterious count really? Helena Blavatsky wrote:

“Saint Germain was certainly the greatest Oriental Adept that Europe has seen in the last centuries. But Europe didn't recognize him."

Who knows, maybe Saint Germain still wanders the world incognito, secretly influencing the course of history?