Count of Saint Germain

The Count of Saint Germain (1693 – February 27, 1784) was an enigmatic character, described as a courtier, adventurer, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist, and amateur composer, known for being a recurring figure in several occult-themed stories.

Some sources cite that, in reality, the famous French nickname comes from the Latin Sanctus Germanus, that is, Holy Brother. Other sources believe that he adopted the name of the town of San Germano in the Italian Tyrol, where his father had possessions. Although it is not known where he was born, it is most likely that he was in a castle in the Carpathian Mountains, the son of the last prince of Transylvania, Francisco Rákóczi II, and his first wife Teleky. Despite this, his death is recorded on February 27, 1784 in Eckernförde (Schleswig). His story is written in The Holy Trinosophy —better known as The Most Holy Trinosophy —. That is the only book that he wrote; therefore, the other books attributed to him are apocryphal. He was part of Freemasonry. Although he was not against the monarchy of France, the advice he gave in that court to try to avoid the revolution was not taken into account.

Biography

The mysterious and enigmatic Count of Saint Germain, known as Master Ray Sol, caused much to be talked about in Europe during the 18th century. He frequented the European courts, dealt with kings and the high aristocracy, was highly respected and admired for his great scholarship, his aptitudes and powers, as well as his distinguished bearing and his personal elegance. He had a mysterious charm, a great appeal. He was highly appreciated by the kings, high figures, by the nobility in general, especially by Louis XV of France, Peter the Great and Catherine of Russia. In 1758, he was already known in France and Russia, defending the ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

The source of his fortune, his nationality, and whether he had a wife and children were unknown. He was a very educated, elegant and noble man ^{[citation needed ]} . It is said that he spoke perfectly French, English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, German, Russian, Portuguese, Latin and Sanskrit ^{[citation needed ]} . He also had vast knowledge of politics, arts, sciences, poetry, medicine, chemistry, music, and painting. He did not stay long in one place and constantly traveled throughout Europe, when he got tired he went to Tibet, Africa or Turkey. It is also said that he was ambidextrous ^{[ citation needed ]} .

The first historical mentions of the Count of Saint Germain date back to 1740, when he became a regular attendee of the most select events in Vienna. The Count, then in his thirties or forties, was dressed in very elegant manner, and always carried with him a large quantity of diamonds, which he used instead of money. While in Austria, it seems that Saint Germain was able to heal the French Marshal Belle Isle against all odds, who had been seriously wounded in Germany^{[citation needed]}. In gratitude, the soldier took him to Paris, where he made a very well-equipped laboratory available to him. It was precisely in this city where the legend of Saint Germain began to take shape. According to other versions, the Count of Saint Germain appears in France in 1758 from Holland, England and Germany, countries he had been visiting on political missions.

Thus, in Chroniques De L'oeil-de-boeuf: Des Petits Appartements De La Cour Et Des Salons De Paris Sous Louis XIV, La Régence, Louis XV, Et Louis XVI, by George Touchard-Lafosse, there is an anecdote in which the count affirms to an old countess that he had known her when he was young, which implied that the count was over a hundred years old, when he only looked about forty. "I am very old," pointed out the count, smiling. The "immortal" Count of Saint Germain thus became an urban legend of the time, and all kinds of rumors began to spread about him, including that he had even been present at the wedding festivities in Cana. To many his appearance was one of permanent and radiant youth.

In late 1745 he may have been arrested in London, accused of supporting the Stuart cause. That seems to emerge from an official letter recounting the arrest of "a strange man who calls himself comte de Saint Germain; he does not tell anyone who he is or where he comes from. He admits that this is not his real name. He sings and plays the violin magnificently; he is crazy & # 34;. After being surprisingly freed, he returned to Versailles where he became one of the closest people to Louis XV and Madame Pompadour, with whom he became closely associated. In 1760 the King of France sent him to The Hague as a personal representative to negotiate a loan with Austria to help finance the war against England. There, however, he not only clashed with his former friend Casanova, but was accused by the Duc de Choiseul, King Louis' foreign minister, of conspiring against France, which precipitated his flight..

Apparently, in Holland, under the name of "Count of Surmount", he amassed a great fortune selling ointments, potions and preparations to combat any evil, including death; but while accusations of con and conspiracy would follow him wherever he went—he was even rumored to have precipitated matters so that the Russian army placed Catherine the Great on the throne—his natural disposition for diplomacy won him numerous allies across Europe..

The legend and his nicknames

He worked in high social circles. Upon arriving in France and befriending King Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, he caused the envy of the courtiers and a part of the aristocracy, being persecuted by detractors such as Casanova, the Duke of Choisseul and Mr. D'Affy.

For this and other reasons the count was known, in different times and places, as "marqués de Montferrat", "marqués de Aymar", "count of Belmar&# 34;, from "Soltikov", from "Welldone", from "Monte Cristo" and of "Saint Germain", "knight of Schoening", "monsieur Surmont", "Zanonni" and "Prince Rackoczy".

Among some of the stories, many false or poorly documented, attributed to his distorted figure, we have the following:

• In Holland he became known as "the count of Surmont". He dedicated himself to collecting money to build a lab to produce paints and dyes. In addition to treating the "ennoblement of metals" (alchemy).

• It appears later in Tournai, Belgium, adopting the identity of "Marquis de Montferrat".

• In 1768 he was placed in Russia, at a conference with the Empress Catherine the Great. There he was appointed counselor of Count Alexéi Orlov, head of the Russian imperial forces. And later he was declared an officer of the Russian army, calling himself "general Welldone."

• Years later (1774) is located in Nuremberg with Carlos Alejandro and Margrave of Brandenburg, also with the intention of installing another laboratory. There he presents himself as the "Prince Rakoczy", and also known as "Saint Germain"; then he left in 1776.

• It is presented in Leipzig before Prince Frederick Augusto of Brunswick as a fourth-degree Franciscan.

• In 1779 it is presented in which it would be one of its last residences, Eckernförde, Schleswig, Germany. Documents from France say he died in the residence of Prince Charles de Hesse-Cassel.

• It performs political liberation work in Russia during the reign of Peter III of Russia and Catherine II of Russia.

• He inspired Adam Weishaupt in the creation of Bavarian Lights and followed closely his movements by entering Freemasonry.

• At present it is taken as a mystical reference within the school of the "Christian medicine" of Conny Méndez and in different esoteric doctrines.

• In the early twentieth century a folkloric legend of New Orleans, in 1902 a man Jacques Saint-Germain, with a lot of money, great charisma and ostentatious clothing came to the city; it was said that many women would be delighted to spend with him in his great house, but it turned out that after so many disappearances of these women, the inhabitants began to doubt him. The story has different ends: in some they find it in the house and this escape, in others it was simply not in the house but if the corpses of his victim with mordiscos on the neck, so it is one of the vampiric legends that so adorn the city of Louisiana. Until today there are tourist trips that take it into consideration and part of its route is to the supposed house of this vampire in New Orleans.

In popular culture

Cinema

• In the series "Outlander" (Temporada 2), during the stay of James and Claire in France, it appears as a malicious character dedicated to trade and hidden arts.

Books

• In the trilogy "the last time traveler" of Kerstin Gier. It is the villain of history, creating a secret society in London whose goal is to create the philosopher's stone.
• In the novel The Pendulum of Foucault by Umberto Eco, Saint-Germain is one of the names used by the character Agliè, an elegant and rich aristocrat great scholar in esotericism and hermeticism, which sometimes speaks of remote historical characters as if he had met them in person.

Manga

• Like a Drifter on the sleeve, and later adaptation of anime, by Drifters (written and illustrated by Kōta Hirano), where he is transferred to a parallel world where he is known as the Count of Saint-Germi, who together with Adolf Hitler founded the Orte Empire.
• Saint-Germain is a character of the visual novel adapted to the anime Code: Realize - Sōsei no Himegimi -.
• Count of Saint Germain is one of the names of a mysterious and ancient vampire on the sleeve Vanitas no Carte de Jun Mochizuki.

Anime

• One of the secondary characters in the sleeve (2011) and then I animated (2014) Nobunagun is Saint Germain, a member of the government agency DOGOO, whose agents carry weapons infused with the spirits of historical characters against monsters called "Evolutionary Invading Objects" (?).They cannot be defeated by the conventional army. He is attributed the supernatural power to live eternally and in every death to regenerate in a young being.
• Reappears as a secondary character in the Netflix Castlevania series during the third season of the series, even giving him a role in several chapters, although without neglecting the mystery that has always surrounded his character.
• It also appears as a secondary character and right hand of the Duke of Orleans in the anime series Le Chevalier D'Eon.

Video Games

• In Card Shark (2022) the Count Saint Germain is the mentor and inciteer of the adventure of our protagonist, the story focuses on an attempt to break France's tensions from the time of 1701-1800, while making traps playing cards.