The Count

The Count de Saint-Germain was a man of unknown birth/heritage, of unknown wealth, and shroud in conspiracy and mystery.  He is thought to have died February 27, 1784, but there have been many sightings of him up to present times.  The official burial site for the Count is at Nicolai Church at Nikolaikirchen in Eckernforde. He was buried March 2, 1784 in a private grave.  Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, a close friend of the Count, reported his death.  He never hid his claim that he was very old, knew ancient secrets (including immortality), and also knew alchemy secrets that others could only dream of (growing and repairing diamonds).

Chateau de Chambord

In the 18th century, he became a close friend of King Louis XV, even taking residence briefly at Chambord.  Louis XV employed the Count as a diplomat.  As a diplomat, the Count nearly ended the Seven Years' War three years early, as he had nearly sealed a peace treaty with England, but France's military leader, Ettiene-Francois Duc du Choiseul declared the Count as a traitor to France and ran him out of the country.

Along with the Count's work as a diplomat, he was also a composer and musician, an alchemist, an inventor of textile dyes, an entrepreneur of textile manufacturing, an occultist, an adventurer, and a courtier.  He was known to be able to write with both hands at the same time while singing.  He was witty, humorous, entertaining, and occasionally performed small tricks during court gatherings.  He never ate in front of anybody, though there were a few occasions where he was seen drinking a little wine.


According to David Hunter, the Count contributed some of the songs to L'incostanza delusa, an opera performed at the Haymarket Theatre in London on all but one of the Saturdays from the 9th of February to the 20th of April 1745.^.  Later, in a letter of December of that same year, Horace Walpole mentions the Count St. Germain as being arrested in London on suspicion of espionage (this was during the Jacobite rebellion) but released without charge:

"The other day they seized an odd man, who goes by the name of Count St. Germain. He has been here these two years, and will not tell who he is, or whence, but professes [two wonderful things, the first] that he does not go by his right name; [and the second that he never had any dealings with any woman - nay, nor with any succedaneum (this was censored by Walpole's editors until 1954)] He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible. He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a great fortune in Mexico, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople; a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman. The Prince of Wales has had unsatiated curiosity about him, but in vain. However, nothing has been made out against him; he is released; and, what convinces me that he is not a gentleman, stays here, and talks of his being taken up for a spy."

The Prince of Wales was not the only person interested in the Count.  Napolean III kept an ongoing file on the Count that was tragically lost in a great fire.  The Count's mysterious nature and higher intellect kept the Duc du Choiseul constantly looking for tidbits of information on him.

The Count has been described has having an olive complexion, black hair, a "Jewish" look, appeared to be between 40-50 years old on all occasions, medium build, simple but tasteful clothes, wears the finest diamonds, possessed courtly manners and grace, and could speak several languages.  It should be noted that in 1710 Baron de Gleichen wrote that Rameau told him of Count St.Germain who appeared to be about 50 years old.  In 1784, his death date, he also appeared to be about 50 years old.