Was Count Saint Germain an Immortal Vampire?
The fascinating life of a mysterious and everlasting aristocrat
This French Count was (perhaps still is?) an enigmatic character who is said to be immortal. He also embodies some characteristics of vampirism.
Man of Mystery
Known as the Count of St. Germain (in French, le Comte de Saint Germain), he spent the 1700s bewildering and beguiling the French royal courts with his immense wealth, wisdom, and influence on global politics. By day he was found whispering advice into the ears of Kings and Queens, and by night he was found throwing lavish and decadent parties for the elite class to enjoy. Though he provided much food and drink to his guests, he was never seen eating himself. Some accounts do tell of him sipping a mysterious drink or “tea.”
The Count was friends with many rich and famous people, including Voltaire, who wrote that his companion was a man “who knows everything and never dies.” It has always been rumored that St. Germain was immortal, because though he has been documented throughout many eras of history, all witnesses remark that he never appears to be over the age of 40. It was also supposed by some that he possessed the alchemist’s gift of transmutation, whereby one turns base metals into gold. He claimed he had learned this talent in Persia (now Iran). This alchemy is how people explained his seemingly unlimited wealth supply combined with his apparent lack of anything resembling a profession. He was also frequently observed to be decked out in extravagant jewelry almost all of the time.
However, some accounts do have St. Germain being a master of many skills and trades, so much so that it was only explicable to people if they accepted that he had had time over many centuries to master that many specialties. For example, St. Germain was a violin virtuoso and may have even composed some pieces of music. He also produced paintings and other artwork. In addition to music and art, it was reported that he constructed laboratories everywhere he stayed (presumably for the metallurgy work).
Origin Story
According to some historical accounts, St. Germain first officially showed up as an adult in Europe sometime between 1705 and 1745 in London, where it is presently believed that he was acting as a spy. It is commonly accepted that his real name is not Comte de St. Germain. His origin and heritage are believed to be in Transylvania, or at least this is what he told people around him. The Theosophist Isabel Cooper-Oakly wrote a book titled The Comte de St. Germain, the Secret of Kings, and therein claims Germain was likely born in the late 1600s in Bohemia. Her theory is that he was the youngest child of Prince Franz-Leopold Ragoczy of Transylvania, and Princess Charlotte Amalia of Hesse-Wahnfried. She posits that Germain was sent to remain under the care of the infamous Medici Family due to political unrest in his home country. Being a de facto Medici child would explain, at least in part, his seemingly endless wealth stream.
Trickster Element
The mystery of St. Germain derived from his modus operandi; he would imply and insinuate his presence at many historical events going back hundreds of years into the past, but would leave enough to the imagination that people would conclude on their own that he must have been at such historical events. He had seemingly perfected the art of disclosing enough strange information while simultaneously omitting other basic key facts about his life; this gave him an air of immortal, magical transcendence across time and culture.
The renowned historian Giacomo Girolamo Casanova wrote of St. Germain in his memoir: “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. All this, he said, was a mere trifle to him. Notwithstanding his boastings, his bare-faced lies, and his manifold eccentricities, I cannot say I thought him offensive. In spite of my knowledge of what he was and in spite of my own feelings, I thought him an astonishing man as he was always astonishing me.”
His friend Gleichen wrote of the Count, "He diluted the strength of the marvelous in his stories…according to the receptivity of his hearer. When he was telling a fool some event of the time of Charles V, he informed him quite crudely that he had been present. But when he spoke to somebody less credulous, he contented himself with describing the smallest circumstances, the faces and gestures of the speakers, the room and the part of it they were in, with such vivacity and in such detail that his hearers received the impression that he had actually been present at the scene. ‘These fools of Parisians,' he said to me one day, '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 than I appear.’”
Power & Influence
Perhaps he truly had been living since ancient times, or perhaps he was just an excellent manipulator. At the very least, this man possessed incredible talents of diplomacy, leadership, politics, and language. By 1758, he’d made his way to France, where he quickly became close with King Louis XV and became an influence on his political decision-making. To quickly make one’s acquaintance with a King (and advise on his global political strategies no less) was not a feat to be overlooked. St. Germain had a pattern of this, indicating that he had immensely important skills, connection, and reputation.
Magical & Immortal
Even if he were a master storyteller and could spin the most fantastical lies, it was nevertheless reported by numerous people that they had met him early in life, then subsequently met him again decades later, and though they had reached old age, he had not appeared to be even one year older.
Some accounts have Germain passing away in a castle in 1784, however an extremely important account of him came to pass just before Bastille Day later on in 1789. The story goes that Germain appeared suddenly to Marie Antoinette, and warned her of what was to come. He told her she needed to escape, as the revolutionaries were going to storm her castle and take her head, along with the heads of many others. While it is written that Marie Antoinette believed him, the powerful people around her did not. Germain knew this would be the case. He fled, saying he understood Marie Antoinette would be advised that he was a heretic who needed to be executed. Though he knew everything which would come to pass, and he knew he wouldn’t be believed, he was desperately trying to change the course of that future for France anyway. Obviously, his attempt failed, but was documented nonetheless in a rare work titled Souvenirs de Marie-Antoinette by the Countess d’Adhémar. The Countess was extremely close to the Queen, and passed away in 1822.
St. Germain indicated that he would flee France, and would not return again for a century. While this was initially laughed off by the Countess, the parting words of St. Germain to the royals was chilling -
“‘Monsieur le Comte de Maurepas, the King summoned you to give him good advice, and you think only of maintaining your own authority. In opposing yourself to my seeing the Monarch, you are losing the monarchy, for I have but a limited time to give to France and, this time over, I shall not be seen here again until after three consecutive generations have gone down to the grave. I told the Queen all that I was permitted to tell her; my revelations to the King would have been more complete; it is unfortunate that you should have intervened between His Majesty and me. I shall have nothing to reproach myself with when horrible anarchy devastates all France. As to these calamities, you will not see them, but to have prepared them will be sufficient memorial of you…
Expect no homage from posterity, frivolous and incapable Minister! You will be ranked among those who cause the ruin of empires.'
"Monsique de Saint-Germain, having spoken thus without taking breath, turned towards the door again, shut it, and disappeared. All efforts to find the Count failed!”
-Countess d’Adhémar, Souvenirs de Marie-Antoinette
Where would such powers of psychic discernment come from? Well, perhaps it came from involvement in one or many secret societies. It is suspected that St. Germain was a high-ranking member and/or cofounder of secret societies such as the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, , the Knights of Light, the Society of Asiatic Brothers, and the Illuminati. With such a rich esoteric background, perhaps the enigmatic powers possessed by Germain derived from magic and spirit summoning practiced by these incredibly strange yet powerful groups.
The story of St. Germain does not end in France with the French Revolution. In the early 1900s in the French corners of Louisiana, a man named Jacques St. Germain would appear and cause quite a drama.
Jacques St. Germain
In the early 1900s, a man turned up in New Orleans, Louisiana and took up residence at a glamorous home located at 1039 Royal Street, and this man was calling himself Jacques St. Germain.
Before long, he was infamous in the area for hosting lavish parties and being a real charmer. Capable of telling elaborate stories and sucking everyone into his orbit, he regaled his high class guests with tales of travels around the world, befriending important people.
Jacques claimed to be related to the legendary Count of St. Germain. Before long, people put it together that like the Count, Jacques also used trickster tactics to heavily imply that he just may have been present for very important events spanning across centuries. He provided such riveting details that one could not help but wonder, “Is he perhaps…serious?”
People wondered where Jacques acquired his wealth; he wore expensive clothing and jewelry, and did not seem to have an obvious occupation. While Jacques was happy to tell riveting tales about his travels, he was actually scant on personal information about himself. So the mystery of this man persisted as his parties raged on in the Big Easy.
Handsome and not seeming older than 40, people also quickly realized that he actually not only resembled portraits of Count St. Germain, but appeared identical. Jacques, like the Count, spoke a few languages fluently, and was never seen eating food. And like the Count, Jaques was occasionally seen drinking mysterious liquid out of a chalice. He was never observed sleeping, either.
People in town eventually began to speculate that not only was Jacques actually related to Count St. Germain - they were becoming more and more convinced that he was the actual Count St. Germain, and that he never aged. Putting this together with his observable quirks, some labelled Jacques an immortal vampire.
In typical trickster form, Jacques revelled and delighted in this gossip, playing along with the rumor mill by neither confirming nor denying these audacious theories.
It all came to a shocking head when one evening, a passerby observed a woman hurling herself out of the second floor of Mr. Germain’s mansion. The woman, later identified as a prostitute, survived the fall but still attempted to flee the property; she was terrified and running away. Police questioned her, and couldn’t believe her story. She claimed that Jacques had violently bitten her neck and caused her to bleed, at which point she immediately ran away in horror and leaped out of the window in a desperate attempt to get away fast.
Both Jacques and the police laughed at the woman’s testimony, believing her to be crazy or a liar. The police informed Jacques that he was free to go home unbothered, but they would need to stop by in the morning to record his side of the story as a compulsory formality. They assured him he need not worry.
When the police showed up to his home the next morning, Jacques was gone. It appeared as though he left in a hurry. When the policemen began to look around the home, they discovered that the entire first floor was covered by curtains, rendering the home rather dark and gloomy. They also were horrified to discover many bottles filled with a mixture of wine and human blood.
Jacques St. Germain was never seen again.
The contents of this article serve as a sneak peak into my upcoming book, which will uncover the truth behind real vampires. If you’re enjoying this topic, watch for more articles like this. The book should be ready to publish by March 2025!