June 2, 1743 in Palermo, on about. Giuseppe Balsamo was born into a poor family in Sicily. Although it is considered proven that Count Cagliostro and Giuseppe Balsamo are one and the same person, the count himself categorically denied this. He claimed to be born and raised in Medina.
When exactly, he did not specify, but made it clear that this happened more than one century ago. The son of a Christian, himself a good Catholic, he at the same time absorbed all the wisdom of the East from a young age, first in sultry Arabia, then in the land of pyramids, educators introduced him to "secret knowledge", to the traditions of "high" magical art.
But even assuming that Cagliostro was cheating, the confusion surrounding his birthplace is not very clear. For some reason, it is generally believed that Balsamo-Cagliostro was born in a respectable area of Palermo, but in fact his childhood was spent in narrow and dirty alleys around the market square. No wonder the boy wanted to get out of here in any way.
It doesn't matter what he would have to resort to - magic or fraud. It is not surprising that in his mature years he created a romantic legend about his origin. The very name Giuseppe Balsamo, if transformed using kabbalistic methods, means - "He who was sent" or "Given", as well as "Lord of the Sun" - shows that it was not his true family name.
Documents show that little Giuseppe was lucky at least with the place of baptism. The ceremony took place in the Cathedral of Palermo, where the remains of the ancient kings rest.
Balsamo's father died shortly after the birth of his son, and the family was constantly in danger of sliding into poverty. But this did not prevent Balsamo's grandmother from prophesying the title of count to her grandson, and her mother - to close her eyes to the fact that the boy was deceitful and cunning, and to indulge herself with prophetic dreams. In her dreams, Giuseppe married the daughter of the count and became noble and rich.
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In Palermo, the future count was apprenticed to his uncle, a pharmacist. This is according to one version. Another is that in his youth Cagliostro lived in Rhodes with the "great hermetic sage" named Altots, and received from him instructions in the secret sciences.
For the first time, the future great sorcerer left his hometown of Palermo (if, of course, Palermo was really his hometown) at the age of 17. But he went so far very close - to the Sicilian town of Koltagirone, in order to continue his education there, in a monastery.
The famous count Cagliostro arrived in St. Petersburg in 1779 from Courland, and he had the most daring plans. For example, he hoped to take a firm place at the Russian court, charming Empress Catherine. But, apparently, the count overestimated his capabilities.
However, Catherine, although she herself did not resort to the services of a magician and astrologer, recommended him to her entourage, so that the first step towards conquering Petersburg was nevertheless made. And Cagliostro turned around with might and main. He began with a session of black and white magic without any exposure.
The session took place in the house of the general of artillery Melissino and made a rather strong impression. Then the count expelled the devil from the possessed Vasily Zhelugin, after which he began to heal all kinds of diseases. Moreover, at first he did not take any money from the sick, and even, on the contrary, helped those in need. But when his fame grew, he began to demand exorbitant fees for his services.
Having suffered a fiasco with Empress Catherine, the count decided to take a different path. He introduced and practically brought his wife, the beautiful Lorenza, to Catherine's favorite, His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin. And Potemkin, at first rather skeptical about the magical abilities of Cagliostro, nevertheless agreed to take part in some experiments.
So, for example, Cagliostro proposed to the prince to triple his entire gold reserve. Grigory Alexandrovich was, for obvious reasons, one of the richest people in Europe, but he agreed to experience. First, out of curiosity, and second, out of sympathy for the Countess Cagliostro.
After the manipulations of Cagliostro, the gold was weighed and analyzed. Oddly enough, it really has become three times more. But Cagliostro did not remain in the loser - he received one third of this mysterious gold for his labors.
These meetings were held, in particular, in the "Rotunda" pavilion - one of the buildings of the Elagins palace complex. During the restoration work in the basements of the Rotunda, mysterious vessels were found, the purpose of which is unknown.
The Rotunda, or, as it is also called, the Pavilion under the Flag, stands surrounded by larch trees, which are the symbolic tree of Freemasonry, and is also located at the meeting place of the four main elements - air, water, earth and sun. And therefore it was considered the most suitable place for various mystical experiences and was appreciated by Count Cagliostro.
In addition, Cagliostro, out of his habit of promising various treasures everywhere, told the Russian Masons that somewhere in the basements of the Rotunda were kept the same manuscripts of Tsar Solomon, which he was going to find for the Courland nobility.
However, the count has surpassed himself in the absurdity of his statements. He told the Russian enlightened society that there was not something hidden in these basements, but Homer's sarcophagus. By the way, after Elagin's secretary was damaged by his mind from all the mysticism that was happening around him, the Chief Hoffmeister ordered to fill up this basement, and they dug it out only during the recent restoration.
It would seem that Count Cagliostro was successful in Russia. Potemkin favored him, he was received in high society. Still, Russian society as a whole turned out to be much more skeptical than ardent Gauls or romantic Kurlanders.
And besides, Potemkin's patronage, in the end, went sideways for the count. Mother Catherine quickly realized that her favorite was not fascinated by the secret sciences, but by the charms of Madame Cagliostro.
Being a resolute woman, she quickly put the Most Serene One in his place, and Cagliostro ordered him to leave the house on the Palace Embankment, which he occupied, as soon as possible, and indeed the borders of the Russian Empire. And in addition, she composed a comedy about him called "The Deceiver," where she brought him out under the name of the charlatan Califlackerston. The high society laughed a lot at the comedy, and did not particularly regret the Count Cagliostro.
Cagliostro returned from his travels in Europe to Italy in 1789 and decided to settle in Rome. Together with his wife Lorenza, he settled in the Plaza de España, near the embassy of the Order of St. John. Cagliostro spent several years in Malta in his youth and gained confidence in the Master of the Order of Malta.
In Rome, Cagliostro, as elsewhere, was engaged in healing and the occult sciences. But he understood that such activities in the immediate vicinity of the papal throne and the inquisition were not entirely safe, and therefore he was not particularly zealous. His main business in Rome was attempts to create one of his secret Masonic lodges of the Egyptian rite.
In this he saw no great risk for himself. But Cagliostro miscalculated. During the time that he lived in Rome, the situation changed radically. The Great French Revolution, which many associated with Masonic influence, terrified the clergy very much. And the clergy began hastily to leave the Masonic lodges. So Cagliostro chose the wrong moment for his undertaking. And not surprisingly, shortly after his arrival, he was arrested on charges of Freemasonry.
Cagliostro was imprisoned in the castle of Sant'Angelo, and a long trial began. The Count was tried simultaneously for magical exercises and for Masonic activities. Moreover, the inquisitors for a long time could not decide whether to consider Cagliostro a real magician and, therefore, a person associated with evil spirits, or a false magician, that is, a fraud.
In the end, he was accused of both, and in contact with demons, and in deception. It was also said that Lorenza, who testified against her husband, played a large role in the prosecution. If this is true, it did not save her, she was sentenced to life in a monastery, where she died. Many later claimed that her ghost wandered around the Plaza de España and bitterly regretted the useless betrayal.
Count Cagliostro himself was sentenced to an exemplary death, that is, to public burning. But at the last moment, the Pope replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment.
There is a legend that immediately after the death sentence was passed, a certain stranger appeared in the Vatican, whom no one had seen either before or after. He demanded a personal audience with the pope, sending him through the cardinal secretary a word instead of a name. The Pope accepted him immediately, but the audience lasted only a few minutes. And before he had time to leave, the Pope gave the order to abolish the death penalty of Count Cagliostro.
On April 7, 1791, a solemn repentance ritual took place in the Church of Santa Maria in Piazza Minerva. Cagliostro, barefoot, in a simple shirt, knelt with a candle in his hands and prayed to God for forgiveness, while on the square in front of the church, the executioner burned all the magic books of Cagliostro and all his magic inventory.
Then Cagliostro was escorted to the castle of San Leo. This majestic fortress is located high in the mountains of Tuscany, in those days it belonged to the papal state. Like many similar strongholds, it served as both a fortress and a prison. The castle is built on top of a huge rock, almost sheer on both sides.
The criminal here was brought to the cell in a special box, in which the jailer, using ropes and blocks, lifted him with the speed of the wind.
Cagliostro spent four years in a gloomy chamber. Moreover, after he, according to eyewitnesses, managed to turn a rusty nail into a beautiful steel stiletto without any tools, the frightened guards put him in chains.
Watching Cagliostro was a hectic business. The jailers were ordered to be extra vigilant. Moreover, anonymous letters came to the papal curia, in which it was reported that the count's admirers intended to release him with the help of a balloon. But Cagliostro never got a balloon.
Four years spent in a cramped damp stone sack did their job, and the immortal count died on August 26, 1795. Some say - from pneumonia, others say that from the poison that the jailers put on him. And some are sure that his death came from an apoplectic stroke.
There are Freemasons who tell strange stories in Italy to this day. Some of them say that Cagliostro inexplicably disappeared from his heavenly prison, and, naturally, forced his jailers to spread messages about his death and burial.
Others argue that he not only disappeared, but, thanks to the elixir of life, is still alive and now lives somewhere in India or in Tibet.
