Richard Chanfray
Encyclopedia
Richard Chanfray was a French
public figure in the 1970s. He claimed to be the Comte de Saint-Germain and appeared in numerous European television shows claiming to transmute lead
into gold
.
act was supposedly performed without tricks.
He was born on 4 April 1940 in the French city of Lyon
. His childhood was spent on the streets and he became a thief. Arrested for assaulting a woman during a robbery and sentenced to six years, he read some antique books in prison, and learned about the Comte de Saint-Germain, a mysterious alchemist, who claimed to be capable of transmutating lead into gold, brewing potions, and acquiring immortality. Chanfray adopted that personality, using French high society's fondness for magic
, esoterism and hermeticism
. He quickly became rich and well-known through his exploits, for example giving divination
s and psychic reading
s to various famous people as well as through his outlandish claims.
In 1972 he met the singer Dalida
, at the height of her fame. Her husband, Lucien Morisse, and her lover, Luigi Tenco
, had both previously committed suicide. When Dalida met Chanfray, she quickly became infatuated. She recognized his paranoia
, however: he slept with a shotgun under his bed. He also spent another year in prison, as well as being forced to pay FF
restitution, when he shot a man whom he found naked in his kitchen late one night. The man was only superficially wounded, and turned out to be the servant's lover.
The incident marked the start of his decline. The couple ran out of money and Chanfray attempted music, painting, and sculpture, all without success. Dalida and Chanfray separated, but despite his problems, he continued to be a part of the celebrity society of Paris
and Saint Tropez. He became the lover of the Trintignan "baroness", Paula de Loos, whose title was as false as his own. De Loos was, however, allegedly a millionaire and when Chanfray began to suspect the activities of de Loos's financial administrator, he threatened him with a rifle. He was again imprisoned and fined -- to which he looked to de Loos for help. She, however, was also heavily in debt.
He last appeared in public at a party in Saint Tropez, in June 1983. He was reportedly very thin, with white hair and an exhausted appearance.
On the 14th of July 1983, in a town near Saint Tropez, Chanfray and de Loos committed suicide, ingesting barbiturates while inhaling the exhaust of his car. Nearby was a suicide note
that read: "I leave and I bring her with me, because she is so like me..."
. He also claimed on numerous occasions that his knowledge came from a "mysterious man" whom he had met in his past. He swore to never reveal said person's identity.
Some of the powers Chanfray's claimed to possess:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
public figure in the 1970s. He claimed to be the Comte de Saint-Germain and appeared in numerous European television shows claiming to transmute lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
into gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
.
Biography
Richard Chanfray's magic career started in 1973 in a Parisian theater, where he was announced as "the man who transmutes lead into gold". This alchemicalAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
act was supposedly performed without tricks.
He was born on 4 April 1940 in the French city of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. His childhood was spent on the streets and he became a thief. Arrested for assaulting a woman during a robbery and sentenced to six years, he read some antique books in prison, and learned about the Comte de Saint-Germain, a mysterious alchemist, who claimed to be capable of transmutating lead into gold, brewing potions, and acquiring immortality. Chanfray adopted that personality, using French high society's fondness for magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, esoterism and hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
. He quickly became rich and well-known through his exploits, for example giving divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
s and psychic reading
Psychic reading
A psychic reading is a specific attempt to discern information with clairvoyance and the resulting statements made during such an attempt. The term is commonly associated with paranormal-based consultation given for a fee in such settings as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs...
s to various famous people as well as through his outlandish claims.
In 1972 he met the singer Dalida
Dalida
Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...
, at the height of her fame. Her husband, Lucien Morisse, and her lover, Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor.-Biography:Tenco was born in Cassine in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in unclear circumstances...
, had both previously committed suicide. When Dalida met Chanfray, she quickly became infatuated. She recognized his paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, however: he slept with a shotgun under his bed. He also spent another year in prison, as well as being forced to pay FF
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
restitution, when he shot a man whom he found naked in his kitchen late one night. The man was only superficially wounded, and turned out to be the servant's lover.
The incident marked the start of his decline. The couple ran out of money and Chanfray attempted music, painting, and sculpture, all without success. Dalida and Chanfray separated, but despite his problems, he continued to be a part of the celebrity society of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Saint Tropez. He became the lover of the Trintignan "baroness", Paula de Loos, whose title was as false as his own. De Loos was, however, allegedly a millionaire and when Chanfray began to suspect the activities of de Loos's financial administrator, he threatened him with a rifle. He was again imprisoned and fined -- to which he looked to de Loos for help. She, however, was also heavily in debt.
He last appeared in public at a party in Saint Tropez, in June 1983. He was reportedly very thin, with white hair and an exhausted appearance.
On the 14th of July 1983, in a town near Saint Tropez, Chanfray and de Loos committed suicide, ingesting barbiturates while inhaling the exhaust of his car. Nearby was a suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
that read: "I leave and I bring her with me, because she is so like me..."
Self-claimed powers
Richard Chanfray claimed to have many powers, most of them related to alchemyAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. He also claimed on numerous occasions that his knowledge came from a "mysterious man" whom he had met in his past. He swore to never reveal said person's identity.
Some of the powers Chanfray's claimed to possess:
- TransmutationAlchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
of lead into gold. Chanfray performed this trick several times in public, and some European television stations recorded him allegedly transmutating the metals. Stage magicians, scientists and jewellers were invited to some of his soirées, and none apparently discovered the trick.
- The power of immortalityImmortalityImmortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. Traditional alchemy considered those two powers (transmutation and immortality) to go hand-in-hand. A SpanishSpanish peopleThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
reporter, José María ÍñigoJosé María ÍñigoJosé María Íñigo is a Spanish radio and television presenter and stage and screen actor for Televisión Española.Born in Bilbao, Íñigo was hired by Radio Bilbao and then by Cope. He joined TVE in 1968 working on the show "Último Grito" alongside Pedro Olea...
, was once invited to Chanfray's house. According to Íñigo "he threw a bit of this powder over a dog's corpse. After a few spasmodic movements, the dog arose and walked a few steps before falling again and remaining dead". It is unclear whether the dog was actually dead before, or even after, the trick.
- The capability of remembering past livesReincarnationReincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. When invited to old palaces or castles, he claimed to have been there before, in a past life. He would demonstrate this by explaining thetairs, a secret passageSecret passageSecret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel. Such passageways are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms. Others allow occupants to enter or exit buildings without being seen...
, and so on. It has been suggested that Chanfray studied the blueprints of the buildings, open to the public, before going to these places.
External links
- Editorial Bitacora – A webpage where are transcribed parts of an article appeared in 1983 in the Spanish magazine El Caso about the history of Richard Chanfray.