"A Man Who Knows Everything and Who Never Dies"

By: Heather N. Gibson

Many felt Count Saint-Germain a.k.a Count Surmont, Count Welldone, Count Soltikoff, Count Tzarogy, Marquise di Aymar, Prince Rakoczi, or Ahasverus, had found the "Elixir of Youth." No one is sure when and where he was born, how old he is or when he died. Many feels he still lives.

It has been theorized that Saint-Germain was the natural son of the widow of Charles II of Spain or the son of Francis Racoczi II, prince of Transylvania. Either theory would place the Count's birthday in 1610. However, the musician Jean-Philippe Rameau insists he met the Count using the alias Marquis de Montferrat in 1710. Jean-Philippe said the Count appeared to be in forties then.

The Count was a master in alchemy it was rumored that he could make gold out of base metal. It is believed he learned alchemy in ancient Egypt. The count was an accomplished violinst, talented painter, chemist and largesse with precious stones.

It is a fact that he wore jewels sown into his clothing. He even generously handed over an ornate cross to a women he scarcely knew. He claimed he could turn several small diamonds into one large one and make pearls grow incredibly huge.

Of course his greatest talent was staying on the grape vine.

He made certain he was noticed and was a fantastic storyteller. He could recount history as if he was really there. Once when retelling the story of Henry IV to some friends he made a mistake,"...and then the king turned around and smiled at me...I mean, he smiled at Duke X...". Still this kind of slip could have easily have been deliberate he once told a friend,"These fools of Parisians believe that I am five hundred years old. I confirm them in this idea because I see that it gives them much pleasure-not that I am not infinitely older that I appear."

All agreed the Count was a gentleman and a scholar. This reputation earned him favor in the court of two kings. King Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompagour would spend an evening with him just listening to his stories. The king made him envoy to the Netherlands. This appointment was made behind the backs of the ministry and when the Count was threatened with arrest he fled to England.

The Count stayed in England for a period of two years and then journeyed to Russia. It is rumored he took part in the conspiracy to put Catherine the Great on the throne. After Russia, Belgium, where he met Casanova.

The Count returned to France in 1774 when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette came to the throne. This is where it is said the Count switches professions to prophets and warns the royal couple of the impending revolution 15 years in the future. "There will be a blood-thirsty republic, whose sceptre will be the executioner's knife,"the Count warned. Yet, the Count consorted with secret societies using the occult as cover for revolutionary activities. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Count was his political loyalties.

February 27,1784 Count Saint-Germain died or as most believe faked his death. He was in Germany living as a protégé of Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel. The two friends were very close and worked together at alchemy. However, after the Count's alleged death the Prince was uncommunicative' about it and would change the subject if brought up in conversation. Thus, adding to the mystic of the Count's death.

Even after his death the Count continues to appear and disappear through out history. Documents of the Freemasons claim the Count represented them at a meeting in 1785. Madame de Genlis saw him in Vienna in 1821. During the 1800's the Count was popping up in the Far East and other parts of the world. Theosophist Annie Besant claims she met the Count in 1896 as a "Master" or spiritual leader. In 1930 the Count was spotted on the deck of an Atlantic liner. In 1972, a Frenchman named Richard Chanfray alleged that he was Saint-Germain and offered to turn metal into gold on TV as proof. It is now believed he is the leader of an alchemic society in Paris.

The Count attributed his longevity to abstemiousness and a diet that consisted primarily of oatmeal.

Wise man or trickster Count-Saint Germain remains a Fascinating Mystery.