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 San Leo Castle legend
photo (c) Paolo Marini www.fotomarche.com
Giuseppe Balsamo,
better known with the name of Alessandro, Count of Cagliostro, was the most
famous prisoner of the
San Leo fortress.
A
self-styled magician, thaumaturg, fortune teller, alchemist and foreseer, he
was known among his contemporaries also as a frequent caller at courts and
social gatherings, appreciated by the European nobility and princes for his
versatile and attracting activities.
He was condemned to death by the High court
of the Holy Office on 4 April 1791, and later pardoned with imprisonment for
life by Pope Pio VI.
Behind his condemnation for heresy there lay political
reasons, and he served 4 years and 4 months of hard imprisonment.
 He was accused to have founded a new massonic
lobby in the Papal States and of keeping contacts with the French Massonery.
Cagliostro could not deny the accuse because the deed was proved by the
publication of one of his writings "Rituels de la maconnerie egiptienne" (
Rituals from the Egyptian masonry): he could only defend his unsustainable
spiritual position. At first he was imprisoned in the cell of the "treasure",
named so because the dukes of Urbino used to keep their gold and jewels there.
 The cell was placed on the sheer cliff on the top
of the mountain and it was the safest cell. Then, he was moved to the cell named
of the well because the entrance was through a trap-door on the ceiling.
Cagliostro was forbidden to write or communicate with anybody.
He was closely
watched in the fear he could commit suicide or tried to escape. Although he was
kept completely isolated by the rest of the world, he kept on rising curiosity
around him so that legends and false news about him continued to flourish for a
long time.
He died on 26 August 1796, probably for an
apoplectic attack, at the age of 52. He never confessed or denied his creed,
therefore he died an heretic and excommunicate and he was denied a Christian
burial. Though some claim he is still with us...
Courtesy in part of InCastro.marche.it
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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