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Ramon LlullWriter, philosopher, logician from Mallorca, member of the Franciscan Order, Catholic saint
Country:
 Spain |
Content:
- Biography of Raymond Lull
- This legend remains popular in northern Spain to this day.
- "What is wrong with this man?" Cramer asked.
- "I am not afraid," Raymond Lull replied shortly.
Biography of Raymond Lull
Raymond Lull, also known as Raymond Lully, was a writer, philosopher, and logician from Mallorca. He was a member of the Franciscan order and later became a Catholic saint. Raymond lived during the time of the Spanish king's court as a young poet and philosopher named Raymondo.
One day, he fell in love with a beautiful lady, but unfortunately, she was married to a jealous husband. One night, the jealous husband ambushed the lovers and stabbed them, injuring Raymond in the back and the lady in the chest. Raymond survived the attack but decided to live as a hermit in a hut after recovering from his wounds.
One stormy night, a fire in the fireplace suddenly burst into a bright light. In the heart of the fire, a salamander appeared and said, "I carry within me the Philosopher's Stone - something that the wise seek. If it is separated from me, it will be the sweetest rest for the wounded soul." This dream of eternal beauty and immortality was born, perhaps, with mankind. The salamander became one of its symbols, as it was said to live in fire but remain colder than ice. Alchemists, who believed in the unity of all things, believed that this dual creature could transform the ugly into the beautiful. The sage who accomplished this transformation would receive immortality from the salamander.
Raymond left his homeland and traveled to the East, where he studied under the greatest sages until he surpassed them. He discovered the greatest secret of alchemy - everything in existence is connected, and everything can be obtained from everything else. Raymond could extract the soul - gold - from any metal.
Upon hearing of the wisdom of the alchemist, the English king invited him to his court. Raymond promised the king a lot of gold, but with two conditions: first, not to use the noble metal for the luxury of the court or war against Christian kings, and second, to spread the teachings of Christ in Asia. The king agreed to these conditions and provided the alchemist with a spacious room in the Tower of London. There, Raymond transformed 50,000 pounds of lead, tin, and mercury into gold, creating 6,000,000 nobles (each noble worth 3 pounds sterling). It is said that these coins are still preserved in private collections.
As time passed, the king had no intention of spreading Christianity in Asia. The court indulged in luxury, while Raymond was imprisoned in a golden cell. One night, the alchemist threw sulfur into the fire, and a salamander appeared in the flames. It told Raymond, "In a true philosopher, the spirit is so great and strong that it consumes and nourishes the human body. Your time has come!" The alchemist grabbed the red elixir, the Philosopher's Stone, from the body of the salamander and obtained immortality.
This legend remains popular in northern Spain to this day.
In reality, the Spanish knight Raymond Lull was not inclined towards science. He was born in 1235 into a family of the royal seneschal (a kind of royal representative and head of an administrative district). Raymond was adored by his parents and jovial friends. Having experienced nothing but balls and hunting, without experiencing any hardships or conflicts other than friendly feasts, the young people wrote poems. Their ideal was beauty - they worshipped it. Donna Ambrozia Eleonora di Castello was considered the most beautiful lady at the court of James I of Aragon. Raymond followed her, dedicating poems to her. However, she rejected him, not only in love but even in selfless service to her beauty. The secret passion and the murderous husband existed only in the legend. The departure of the brilliant young man to become a hermit caused a sensation in society. It was said that the youth, accustomed since childhood to having all his desires fulfilled, could not bear the coldness of the beauty. In his hut, Raymond delved deeper into dark thoughts. He repented of his previous way of life, endured hunger, and tormented himself. One night, he had a vision... Not of a salamander, but of the Lord. Raymond heard a voice commanding him to spread the teachings of Christ in the East. He spent six years reading Arabic books and learning the language. He decided to travel to the Arab sages to gain knowledge and share the true faith with them. He made his final decision after being stabbed in the back by an Arab servant who discovered his intention to learn the language. Raymond, as a court knight, could have killed the attacker, but as a philosopher and preacher, he requested clemency for the servant. The stab in the back became a sign that missionary work would not be easy.
Raymond traveled to the Holy Land, Iran, and Tunisia, studying chemistry, medicine, and philosophy. With time, he gained a reputation as a strange, almost mad, but highly skilled healer. He never refused to help anyone, treating Muslims and spreading his teachings. He was expelled from Tunisia twice, but his reputation saved him from death. Nevertheless, the authorities warned him that if he returned to Tunisia again, it would be at the will of Allah.
One day, John Cramer, the abbot of Westminster, visited Vienna. On the first day, he went to the city alone, bypassing the line of citizens at the door, and entered an unimpressive house. The room smelled of something sharp and sour, either pus or medicine. While the doctor applied ointment and bandages to the patient's sores, the abbot stood aside.
"What is wrong with this man?" Cramer asked.
"He has leprosy," replied Raymond Lull."You are certainly a renowned physician. But still, are you not afraid?"
"I am not afraid," Raymond Lull replied shortly.
A week later, by invitation of King Edward II, Raymond, accompanied by Abbot Cramer, traveled to England.
"What is that, Lull, that you have with you?" Cramer pointed to a thin plate in a leather case.
"This is my talisman. With it, I measure the ounces of healing powders."
Raymond had carved a figure of a salamander and the inscription "With you, I will be able to overcome all things and transform everything coarse and ugly into the delicate and beautiful" on the plate.
In London, Raymond faced pressure from all sides. The king invited him, according to Cramer, to discuss a crusade to Tunisia. In reality, Edward had no such plans. The king impatiently listened to Raymond's philosophical speeches about gold being the science of healing and demanded real gold. Cramer hoped to obtain formulas from the alchemist. Tired of lies and greed, Raymond fled. And just in time - Edward decided to imprison the rebellious alchemist in the Tower of London.
He returned to Tunisia, where he preached on a vast square, barely able to walk. The Spanish sailors carried Raymond onto their ship. When the dying man learned that he was being taken to his homeland, he wept.
The Catalan and Aragonese gossips were mistaken in thinking that young Raymond was devastated by Ambrozia's rejection! The perfect world of the young man crumbled because of her refusal. Seeing that the passionate lover could not be appeased, Ambrozia sent him a note. Inspired, Raymond gathered his best poems and rushed to her call. Dona received Lully in a room brightly lit by candles.
"It would be just if you better understood the beauty that you sing in your poems," she said, lifting the edge of her dress. Her chest was disfigured by cancer. The terrible scars continued beneath her dress.
Ambrozia had long since passed away, but Raymond continued to try to save her by treating the sick. Every unsuccessful healing added a drop of madness to him.
When the ship passed Mallorca on June 28, 1315, Raymond Lull ceased to suffer. At the end of his life, he had delusions. With dry lips, he cursed the salamander, who had given him wisdom but taken away happiness. Suffocating with tears, he lamented that beauty on earth was impossible, consumed by disease, greed, and lies. And yet... Bitter life turned into a legend, and the unhappiness of the healer brought healing to the sick.
