The Comte de Saint Germain (c. 1691 or 1712 – 27 February 1784) was a European adventurer, with an interest in science, alchemy and the arts. He was the author of an unnamed triangular-shaped manuscript, written in Masonic symbols, describing a magical ritual by which one can perform the two most extraordinary feats that characterized the legend of Count of St. Germain, namely procurement of great wealth and extension of life. St. Germain achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-18th century. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be “one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived”. St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice amongst royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, and Prinz Ragoczy. He appears to have begun to be known under the title of the Count of St Germain during the early 1740s. In order to deflect enquiries as to his origins, he would make far-fetched claims, such as being 500 years old, leading Voltaire to sarcastically dub him “The Wonderman” and that “He is a man who does not die, and who knows everything”. His real name is unknown while his birth and background are obscure, but towards the end of his life, he claimed that he was a son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania. In a letter of December 1745, Horace Walpole mentions the Count St. Germain as being arrested in London on suspicion of espionage (this was during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745), but released without charge. Walpole concludes that the Count was “a man of Quality who had been in or designed for the Church. He was too great a musician not to have been famous if he had not been a gentleman”. Walpole describes the Count as pale, with “extremely black” hair and a beard. “He dressed magnificently, [and] had several jewels” and was clearly receiving “large remittances, but made no other figure”. A mime and English comedian known as Mi’Lord Gower impersonated St. Germain in Paris salons. His stories were wilder than the real count’s (he had advised Jesus, for example). Giacomo Casanova describes in his memoirs several meetings with the “celebrated and learned impostor… This extraordinary man, intended by nature to be the king of impostors and quacks, would say in an easy, assured manner that he was three hundred years old, that he knew the secret of the Universal Medicine, that he possessed a mastery over nature, that he could melt diamonds, professing himself capable of forming, out of ten or twelve small diamonds, one large one of the finest water without any loss of weight.” Myths, legends, and speculations about St. Germain began to be widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continue today. They include beliefs that he is immortal, the Wandering Jew, an alchemist with the elixir of life, a Rosicrucian, and that he prophesied the French Revolution. He is said to have met the forger Giuseppe Balsamo (alias Cagliostro) in London and the composer Rameau in Venice. Some groups honor Saint Germain as a supernatural being called an ascended master.
Alias The Comte de Saint Germain, The Wonderman, Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, Prinz Ragoczy
First Appearance Historical figure (b. 1696 – d. 1784)
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Literature by the Count of Saint Germain: La Très Sainte Trinosophie (The Most Holy Trinosophia, illustrated 18th century manuscript), Triangular Manuscript (unnamed, 18th century manuscript in the shape of a triangle) [Getty]. Literature about the Count of Saint Germain: “The Queen of Spades” by Alexander Pushkin (1834), Graf St.-Germain by E. M. Oettinger (1846), Aqua benedetta by Karl May (1877), Ein Fürst des Schwindels by Karl May (1880), Isabel Cooper-Oakley’s The Count of St. Germain (1912), The History of Magic by Eliphas Levi (1913), Sages and Seers by Manly Palmer Hall (1959), et. al. Podcast: Astonishing Legends: Episode 58-60 The Count of St. Germain.
Sample Read Astonishing Legends: Episode 058 The Count of St. Germain Part 1 [YT]
Description The Comte de Saint Germain (c. 1691 or 1712 – 27 February 1784) was a European adventurer, with an interest in science, alchemy and the arts. He was the author of an unnamed triangular-shaped manuscript, written in Masonic symbols, describing a magical ritual by which one can perform the two most extraordinary feats that characterized the legend of Count of St. Germain, namely procurement of great wealth and extension of life. St. Germain achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-18th century. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be “one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived”. St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice amongst royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, and Prinz Ragoczy. He appears to have begun to be known under the title of the Count of St Germain during the early 1740s. In order to deflect enquiries as to his origins, he would make far-fetched claims, such as being 500 years old, leading Voltaire to sarcastically dub him “The Wonderman” and that “He is a man who does not die, and who knows everything”. His real name is unknown while his birth and background are obscure, but towards the end of his life, he claimed that he was a son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania. In a letter of December 1745, Horace Walpole mentions the Count St. Germain as being arrested in London on suspicion of espionage (this was during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745), but released without charge. Walpole concludes that the Count was “a man of Quality who had been in or designed for the Church. He was too great a musician not to have been famous if he had not been a gentleman”. Walpole describes the Count as pale, with “extremely black” hair and a beard. “He dressed magnificently, [and] had several jewels” and was clearly receiving “large remittances, but made no other figure”. A mime and English comedian known as Mi’Lord Gower impersonated St. Germain in Paris salons. His stories were wilder than the real count’s (he had advised Jesus, for example). Giacomo Casanova describes in his memoirs several meetings with the “celebrated and learned impostor… This extraordinary man, intended by nature to be the king of impostors and quacks, would say in an easy, assured manner that he was three hundred years old, that he knew the secret of the Universal Medicine, that he possessed a mastery over nature, that he could melt diamonds, professing himself capable of forming, out of ten or twelve small diamonds, one large one of the finest water without any loss of weight.” Myths, legends, and speculations about St. Germain began to be widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continue today. They include beliefs that he is immortal, the Wandering Jew, an alchemist with the elixir of life, a Rosicrucian, and that he prophesied the French Revolution. He is said to have met the forger Giuseppe Balsamo (alias Cagliostro) in London and the composer Rameau in Venice. Some groups honor Saint Germain as a supernatural being called an ascended master.
