Medieval Histories

Nicolas Flamel – From A Wealthy Parisian Businessman to legendary alchemist

In 1418, Nicolas Flamel died in Paris, leaving behind a considerable fortune in houses, rents and other property. A prosperous “bourgeois de Paris”, he had spent much of his adult life acquiring real estate, funding religious and charitable works, and arranging for prayers to be said for himself and his wife after their deaths. In doing so, he had also carefully cultivated his public memory, ensuring that his name and image would survive in the streets, churches and cemeteries of Paris.

He could hardly have imagined what would happen next. Within a century, this respectable Parisian businessman and public scribe had begun to acquire an entirely different reputation. According to increasingly elaborate accounts, Flamel had discovered the secret of the philosopher’s stone, mastered the transformation of base metals into gold and perhaps even achieved immortality.

This remarkable transformation from Parisian burgher to legendary alchemist is currently the subject of an exhibition at the Musée de Cluny in Paris.

Planning a visit? We offer a series of essays exploring the fascinating world of Flamel and Pernelle – their houses, their business affairs, their religious foundations and, above all, the bustling city of Paris in which they lived.

This enticing history is right now on view at the Musee de Cluny in Paris…