10-24-2026, 10:58 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-24-2026, 10:58 AM by Paul Ferguson.)
The Petersburg Crucible: Alchemy and the Russian Nobility in Catherine the Great’s Russia
Robert Collis
"This article studies the cultural significance of alchemy among the Russian nobility in St. Petersburg during the reign of Catherine the Great. It is argued that Catherine the Great perceived alchemy as a Western practice promoted by foreign charlatans and by mystically-inclined Freemasons, which threatened to undermine the foundations of her vision of Russia being a beacon of reason and enlightenment."
https://tinyurl.com/yrpfx85x
Robert Collis
"This article studies the cultural significance of alchemy among the Russian nobility in St. Petersburg during the reign of Catherine the Great. It is argued that Catherine the Great perceived alchemy as a Western practice promoted by foreign charlatans and by mystically-inclined Freemasons, which threatened to undermine the foundations of her vision of Russia being a beacon of reason and enlightenment."
https://tinyurl.com/yrpfx85x