The personality of the famous inventor-alchemist is shrouded in an aura of the most extraordinary rumors and conjectures. Ordinary people considered the scientist a warlock, ranked sorcerers in the army, according to educated contemporaries, Jacob Bruce was a convinced materialist who was skeptical of religion.
What is the secret of the great scientist, has his unusual knowledge been preserved?
Mystics consider Yakov Vilimovich Bruce a sorcerer of incredible strength, the first Russian freemason, who at one time became the right hand of the great Russian reformer Peter the Great. There were rumors among the people of that time that the most powerful sorcerer of Russia was the author of the creation of the homunculus, he knew how to get living and dead water. During the construction of St. Petersburg, the famous scientist began searching for immortality, which resulted in the creation of the world's first iron man (robot).
What is known about Jacob Bruce
The owner of the Sukharev Tower, which was located near the current Sukharevskaya metro station, was born in 1670. The father of the future associate of Peter the Great was forced to flee England because of the conflict with Cromwell, Russia became the new homeland. In his younger years, the representative of the noble Scottish family Bruce managed to get the best education at that time, but mathematics and natural sciences became Jacob's addiction, the passion for which the great scientist carried through his whole life.
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Finding himself, together with his brother, a soldier of Peter's "amusing" troops, Bruce made a career in the military field, engaged in diplomacy during the time of incessant wars waged by Russia in Peter's era. With the coming to power of Catherine I, after the death of Peter, having risen to the rank of field marshal-general, the prudent military man retired, not wanting to participate in the cruel court enmity. Having retired on the territory of the estate near Moscow, the former commander took up medical practice, providing medical assistance to the peasants of the surrounding lands. The famous figure of that time passed away in 1735, shortly before his 66th birthday.
The great sorcerer of all times and peoples Among the many-sided interests of Jacob Bruce was an addiction to magic, he was attracted by astrology and alchemy, he was the first Russian member of the Brotherhood of Builders. In the memory of descendants, the scientist remained as the author of recommendations for the development of Moscow, based on knowledge of astrology and geomagnetic fields. Some historians believe that Bruce's unusual recommendations were taken into account by Stalin when building the center of the capital, as well as laying subway lines.
In the memory of the common people, the image of Bruce was firmly entrenched as a real warlock and a powerful sorcerer who lived in the Sukharev Tower. The Moscow building, built at the end of the 17th century, inspired superstitious fear in Muscovites with the mysterious flickering of the upper windows of the tower at night. Despite numerous rumors, Bruce was not touched, because he was under the patronage of Peter I.
According to popular rumor, Jacob Bruce still had a magic book that once belonged to King Solomon, famous for his wisdom. With the help of this book, the sorcerer could find out the secret of any place on earth, find out where and what is hidden. The magical tome, which was not given to anyone in the hands, was hidden in a secret room. To prevent the Black Book from ending up in the hands of unworthy people after Bruce's death, the sorcerer, who spoke six European languages, immured it inside one of the walls of the Sukharev Tower. The destruction of the tower itself was attributed to the action of powerful spells from the Bruce book.
Interesting legends about miracles allegedly created by the wizard Bruce have survived to this day. The peasants of the village where the retired military man lived, told about the night visits of the fire dragon to him. The scientist then conducted experiments to purify metals from impurities. According to another legend, on a hot July day, the owner of the estate surprised his guests with an offer to skate on the surface of a pond, which the sorcerer turned into a kind of ice rink.
The idea that the results of his magical experiments were to blame for the death of the scientist-alchemist was firmly entrenched in the people's memory. Residents of the village of Chernyshino, where Bruce lived, were convinced that the owner was conducting experiments on himself to revitalize and rejuvenate. Having forced the faithful servant to cut himself into pieces with a sword, the sorcerer ordered to water the remains with living water. Since a long time was needed for a complete restoration, and then the king missed his companion, and the servant had to confess what he had done.
When Peter ordered to show him the master's body, Bruce's body almost grew together, and the wounds were not visible at all. The Tsar's "arichmet", as the peasants called Bruce, looked asleep, breathed normally, and a completely natural blush played on his face. There was no limit to the indignation of the Orthodox tsar. He called such experiments "unclean" business, ordered the books of the sorcerer to be walled up in the walls of the tower, and magic potions simply burned.
In the new reality of the twentieth century, the legends about the sorcerer were corrected, he was credited with the creation of an airship, on which Bruce flew to unknown lands, and did not die at all. The very unusual fate of the alchemist, according to researchers, is fraught with many mysteries. For example, where and when the son of a serving nobleman managed to get such a comprehensive education, which allowed him to become an expert in many areas of science. Indeed, in the "amusing" troops of Peter the boy was enrolled in the fourteenth year of life and was employed in the service until his resignation in 1726.
Great mystic or convinced skeptic
Under the cover of secrecy, information about the inner world of Jacob Bruce and his life during the hermitage remained. Undoubtedly, the scientist was attracted by secret science, but there is no information about his assessment of secret knowledge, and taking into account some data, Yakov Vilimovich was more a skeptic than a mystic. Despite the lack of information about the Moscow warlock, in the thirties of the last century the Sukharev Tower was completely destroyed by Stalin's orders. True, there was a rumor among the people that the tyrant was looking for the Black Book, and not finding it, he decided to destroy one of the ancient places of power.
In folk legends, information about the destruction of the Sukharev Tower has been preserved. When, enraged by the absence of the Black Book, the leader ordered to blow up the ruins of the structure, among the crowd they noticed the ghostly figure of Jacob Bruce himself, the sorcerer looked at the ruins of his dwelling with extreme disapproval. The scientist's remains were buried at the churchyard of the church, located on the territory of the former German settlement. At the beginning of the last century, the church was destroyed under mysterious circumstances, and one of the crypts became the last refuge of the great Bruce. The remains were transferred to the anthropologists of the laboratory of M. Gerasimov, who were engaged in the restoration of the appearance.
The bones of the great alchemist commander disappeared from the laboratory without a trace, only the sorcerer's clothing items - a caftan and a camisole - have survived to this day. The clothes were sent for storage to the funds of the State Historical Museum. On the territory of the former Bryusov estate in the village of Glinka (now it is not far from the city of Losino-Petrovsky near Moscow), local ethnographers managed to open a museum of the famous associate of Peter.
Preserved information about the attempts of archaeological research of the 19th century on the ruins of the Sukharev Tower. The head of the excavation claimed that he managed to figure out the mysteries of Bruce, but the archaeologist himself died unexpectedly. It has not yet been possible to find out where the remains of the Moscow warlock disappeared. The mystery of the Black Book and its whereabouts still haunt the adepts of magic and fans of the supernatural.
Tatiana Larina
