April 19, 2020 | Leave a comment Surely no man has ever drawn breath whose life was shrouded in more mystery than the individual who went, or goes, by the name of The Comte de Saint-Germain. The most we can really say about him is that he actually existed, but of more than that we cannot be certain. Let’s start at the beginning, or as close as we can get to the beginning. His year of birth is given alternatively as 1691 or 1712, although he was also said to have been a guest at the wedding at Cana where Jesus famously turned water into wine, and he was also reported to have attended an ecclesiastical assembly known as the First Council of Nicaea in 325CE. What on earth am I talking about, you’re probably thinking, and with much justification. Even if he was born in 1691, he would still have been well over a millennia too young to have attended either of the events in question.An account of a purported conversation between the comte and one Countess von Georgy adds even further to the enigma, and indicates that his year of birth must have been considerably earlier than either of the years suggested above. In 1760 the countess was an elderly lady and was attending a soiree in Paris, given by Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV of France. Upon being introduced to the comte, she recalled having met him fifty years earlier in Venice in 1710, but as he didn’t appear to have aged in half a century, she simply made the assumption that it must have been the current comte’s father that she had encountered all those years earlier. The conversation between the two is reported to have proceeded as follows “No Madame,” replied the comte, “but I myself was living in Venice at the end of the last and the beginning of this century; I had the honour to pay you court then.” “Forgive me but that is impossible!” replied the astonished countess. “ The Comte de Saint Germain I knew in those days was at least forty-five years old. And you, at the outside, are that age at present.” “Madame, I am very old.” he responded. “But then you must be nearly one hundred years old.” said the flabbergasted aristocrat. “That is not impossible.” Said the comte, before going on to recall details of their previous encounter that eventually convinced her that he really was the same man she had met in Venice fifty years earlier.The Comte de Saint-Germain So what is the explanation for the man’s incredible longevity? Apparently the Comte de Saint Germain was an expert in the art of alchemy. Not only was he able to turn base metals into gold, but he also discovered an elixir that would impart immortality to those who consumed it. Having quaffed a quantity of it himself, presumably when aged about forty-five, he was thus destined to live forever. Being of such great age, he exuded the wisdom and grace of enormous experience and displayed considerable artistic ability. The comte travelled extensively throughout Europe and charmed his way into the company of the continent’s royalty and upper classes. He was wined and dined by the upper echelons of society but was never seen to eat, instead drinking only, what appeared to be, red wine.The French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, a contemporary of the comte, said of him “a man who never dies, and who knows everything.” Upon meeting the comte in 1760, the famous Italian author Casanova commented “This extraordinary man …. 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 …. all this, he said, was mere trifle to him.” So, what became of the old comte? Well, the simple answer is we don’t know. According to one account, in 1779 he travelled to Hamburg in modern day Germany, where he became acquainted with Prince Charles of Hesse-Cassel, who considered him to be “one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived.” There he stayed, as a guest of the prince at his castle at Eckernforde, where, as this version of events goes, he died on 27 February 1784. However, that is far from the end of the story of this remarkable individual. In 1785 he was reportedly seen in the company of Anton Mesmer, the pioneering hypnotist, who it is claimed, learned his hypnotic techniques from the comte. Also, Freemasonry records indicate that the Comte de Saint-Germain was chosen as their representative for a convention in 1785. He popped up again in 1789, 1815, 1820 and 1821.Between 1880 and 1900 it was claimed that he was involved with the Theosophical Society and that he was working towards the spiritual development of the West. In 1897 the French opera singer Emma Calve autographed a portrait of herself and dedicated it to the comte. More recently a man turned up in Paris in 1972 claiming to be the Comte de Saint-Germain, although he was now living under the name Richard Chanfray. Chanfray later took his own life in Saint Tropez in 1983, although it has been alleged that no body was discovered, just a suicide note.Richard Chanfray Most recently of all, it has been noted that American actor, comedian and impressionist Kevin Pollak bears a striking resemblance to portraits of the comte. When this was pointed out to him he happily confirmed that he was indeed the immortal Comte de Saint-Germain. However, do bear in mind that Kevin is a comedian.The Comte de Saint-Germain was undoubtedly a man of great charm and intellect, who earned a reputation in his own lifetime for his extraordinary abilities. That reputation however, seems to have grown, over the intervening years, into the stuff of fanciful legend. Or did he really discover the elixir of eternal life? If so, we may not have heard the last of the Comte de Saint-Germain. Sources: https://www.liveabout.com/Saint-Germain-the-immortal-count-2594421 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_St._Germain