Yakov Bruce: the mysterious associate of Peter I. The sorcerer Bruce and the black book Bruce - after death

That's how popular rumor dubbed him. Well, who was he really, a Russified Scot who faithfully served the Russian throne? A paradox, but not much is known about him ... But even the information that we managed to collect draws us a very versatile person.

Jacob Bruce

... They say that this outstanding person liked to stun his guests, who came to him in the spring to the estate near Moscow, located in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe current Monino station, with such a trick.

In the month of May, as you know, the ice on the rivers and ponds in the Moscow region no longer holds, it melts back in March - April. But Bruce at dusk, accompanied by guests, went out into the manor park, waved a white handkerchief, and in front of the astonished guests, his pond, as if by magic, was covered with ice.

Now you understand why Jacob Bruce was sometimes called a sorcerer. But this man was not at all famous for such amusements.

When the young Tsar Peter began to gather his “amusing army”, two undersized brothers Roman and Yakov Bryus were among the first to stand under his banner.

Their grandfather Jacob, a descendant of the Scottish kings, in the middle of the 17th century went to seek his fortune in distant Muscovy. He faithfully served the tsar and the Russian land, commanding the Pskov regiment, and died in 1680 with the rank of major general. His son Vilim followed in his father's footsteps and died near Azov with the rank of colonel.

Thus, Yakov Vilimovich Bruce, count from birth, was prepared for the fate of a military man. And since he was more than two years older than Tsar Peter, then, joining the "amusing army", he already managed to fully understand the difficulties and dangers of real military affairs. He participated in two Crimean campaigns organized by Sophia's favorite V.V. Golitsyn.

And when he returned to Moscow, he found the capital lurking in anticipation of who would win: the struggle for the royal crown between Sophia and the grown-up Peter reached its climax. Yakov Bruce did not hesitate for long, and when Peter left Preobrazhensky for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, gathering all his supporters around him, he joined him along with other “amusing” ones.

From that moment on, his fate was closely connected with the Russian Tsar. Together with Peter, Bruce fought near Azov. When Peter, as part of the Great Embassy, ​​went abroad, Yakov arrived in Amsterdam in 1697 and brought a map of the lands he had compiled from Moscow to Asia Minor for printing.

The following fact speaks eloquently about Peter's attitude towards him at that moment. Before leaving Moscow, Bruce received a severe burn on his hand in the house of Prince Caesar F.Yu. Romodanovsky. Peter, during long absences from Moscow, handed over the reins of government to the Prince-Caesar, treated him with emphatic respect and humbly signed in letters: “The ever-servant servant of Your Majesty, Bombardier Peter.”

True, the formidable head of the Secret Order was not afraid of threats, he answered with imperturbable dignity: “In your letter it is written to me that I know Ivashka Khmelnitsky: and that, sir, is not true ... If I know Ivashka, we always bathe in blood; it’s your business at your leisure to keep acquaintance with Ivashka, but we don’t have time. And what Jacob Bruce reported that he burned his hand from me, and that became his drunkenness, and not from me.

Peter lowered his tone and preferred to conclude a peace treaty with a joke: “It is written that Yakov Bruce did something from his drunkenness; and that is true, only in whose yard and with whom? And what is in the blood, and from that, tea, and you drink more for fear. But we really can’t, because we are constantly in learning.

Peter, who valued versatile scientific knowledge Bruce, in 1706 he transferred the ode to the Moscow Civil Printing House. From here came the first calendar, popularly called the "Bryusov calendar". In fact, the compiler of the calendar was V.A. Kiprianov, and Bruce only supervised his work.

A resident of the Moscow handicraft settlement Kadashi, a merchant who supplied candle goods to the Armory, Kiprianov at the same time was fond of mathematics, studied navigation, owned foreign languages, mastered the art of engraving, was interested in astrology. It was he who gave Peter the idea to release a public calendar. According to his fortune-telling tables, one could get a prediction for any day of any year, which ensured the calendar was very popular not only in the 18th century, but also in the 19th.

Bruce himself, at the direction of the tsar, went to Berlin in 1711 "to hire artisans of noble arts that we need." Yakov Vilimovich was also engaged in the purchase of instruments for scientific and nautical purposes. Acquired works of art and rarities for the royal collection. During such trips, he met the German scientist G. Leibniz and then corresponded with him.

Having established the Senate, Peter also appointed Bruce to it, making him president of the Berg and Manufacture Collegia in 1717. Now Bruce was in charge of the development of the mining industry and factory business in Russia. However, at the same time, he continued to improve Russian artillery, promising the tsar that he could achieve a higher rate of fire for the guns.

Delighted, Peter answered: “If you find this, then a great deed will be, for which I thank you very much for your diligence.”

In the same 1717, Bruce had to become a diplomat, to whom Peter entrusted a responsible mission. Together with A.I. Osterman, he went to the Åland Congress to work out the conditions for concluding peace with Sweden.

The death of the Swedish king Charles XII interrupted the negotiations. But in 1721 they resumed. Osterman's subtle resourcefulness and Bruce's unwavering firmness successfully complemented each other. They honorably fulfilled the task entrusted to them. Under the terms of the Treaty of Nishtad, Livonia, Estland, Ingermanland, part of Karelia and the Moonsund Islands were ceded to Russia.

Peter, having received news of such an end to the negotiations, was very pleased, saying that "our Russia never received such a useful peace."

Bruce was not only a faithful executor of Peter's sovereign plans, but also took part in his family affairs. Peter instructed Yakov Vilimovich to regularly visit Tsarevich Alexei, apparently hoping that the conversations of an intelligent and well-educated person would influence the unlucky heir. The wife of Bruce Maria Andreevna (Margarita Manteuffel) was also at the court of the prince. In 1724, during the coronation of Catherine, Bruce carried the imperial crown in front of her, and his wife was among the five ladies of state who supported Catherine's plume.

And the following year, it was Jacob Bruce who was the main steward at the funeral of Peter.

Catherine I, having established herself on the Russian throne, did not forget the merits of Bruce, awarding him the Order of Alexander Nevsky. But, having seen how the "chicks of Petrov's nest" began a fierce enmity, sharing honors at the court of Catherine, Bruce prudently retired in 1726 with the rank of field marshal.

In 1727 he bought from A.G. Dolgoruky, Glinka's estate near Moscow, laid out a park there, built a house with an observatory and lived there without a break, doing his favorite sciences. He became interested in medicine and helped the surrounding residents, making medicines from herbs.

Bruce died in 1735, a little short of 66 years old. He didn't have children. The Spanish ambassador de Liria wrote about him: “Gifted with great abilities, he knew his business and the Russian land well, and by his irreproachable behavior he earned general love and respect for himself.”

However, for some reason, a different image of Bruce, a sorcerer and warlock, has become firmly established in the people's memory. The reason for such suspicions, he himself filed in his youth. At the end of the 17th century, the Sukharev Tower was built in Moscow, and Muscovites began to notice that from time to time, at night, light mysteriously flickered in the upper windows of the tower. This is a friend of the tsar F.Ya. Lefort collected the Neptune Society, which, according to rumors, was fond of astrology and magic. The society included eight more people, and among them was the inquisitive tsar himself, Menshikov and Yakov Bruce, who were inseparable from him.

Jacob Bruce is said to have taken over the Neptune Society after Lefort's death. In addition, he was engaged in astronomical observations at the Sukharev Tower. The reputation of the "astrologer" and deep scientific knowledge of Bruce gave rise to fantastic legends among the townsfolk.

As P.I. Bogatyrev in the book “Moscow Antiquity”, Muscovites were convinced that “as if Bruce had such a book that revealed all the secrets to him, and through this book he could find out what is anywhere in the earth, he could tell who had what where hidden” …

The basis for such legends could be real facts. The officials who compiled the inventory of Bruce's office found many unusual books there, for example: "The Philosophy of the Mystic on German”, “The sky is new in Russian” - as indicated in the inventory.

Was at all mystery book, consisting of seven wooden planks with incomprehensible text carved on them. Popular rumor claimed that the magic book of Bryusov belonged to the once wise King Solomon. And Bruce, not wanting her to fall into the wrong hands after his death, immured her in the wall of the Sukharev Tower. And after the tower was destroyed, they began to say that this happened for a reason and the fault of everything - the powerful and dangerous spell contained in the Bruce book.

Even Bruce's death itself was sometimes attributed to his magical experiments.

In particular, peasants from the village of Chernyshino, Kaluga province, which once belonged to Bruce, said that the owner was the royal “arihmetchik”, he knew how many stars there were in the sky and how many times the wheel would turn until the wagon reached Kiev. Looking at the peas scattered in front of him, he could immediately name the exact number of peas: “But you never know what this Bruce knew: he knew all sorts of secret herbs and wonderful stones, he made different compositions of them, he even produced living water ...”

Deciding to try the miracle of revitalization and rejuvenation on himself, Bruce allegedly ordered a faithful servant to cut himself into pieces with a sword and then pour "living water". But this needed a long time, and then the tsar inopportunely missed his “arihmetchik”. The servant had to confess everything and show the master's body.

“They look - Bryusov’s body has completely grown together and the wounds are not visible; he spread his arms, as if sleepy, already breathing, and a blush plays in his face. However, the Orthodox tsar was outraged and said with anger: “This is a dirty business!” And he ordered to bury the sorcerer in the earth for all eternity.

As a magician and warlock, Bruce also appears in the works of Russian writers - in particular, in the story of V.F. Odoevsky "Salamander" and the unfinished novel by I.I. Lazhechnikov "The Sorcerer on the Sukharev Tower".

The new reality of the 20th century made its own adjustments to the legends about Bruce. It was argued that he did not die, but created an airship and flew on it to no one knows where. The tsar ordered his books to be walled up (again in the Sukharev Tower), and all drugs to be burned.

In the fate of Bruce and in fact there is something mysterious. It is not clear where and how the son of a serving nobleman managed to receive such a brilliant education, which then allowed him to acquire deep knowledge in various fields of science. His inner world and home life remained impenetrable to prying eyes, especially in recent years, spent in almost hermit solitude.

“Judging by some reports, Yakov Vilimovich had a skeptical rather than a mystical mindset,” writes I. Gracheva, candidate of philological sciences, about this. “According to one of his contemporaries, Bruce did not believe in anything supernatural.” And when Peter showed him the incorruptible relics of the saints in Sophia of Novgorod, Bruce "attributed this to the climate, to the property of the land in which they were previously buried, to the embalming of bodies and to temperate life ..."

But, ironically, the very name of Bruce subsequently became associated with something mysterious and supernatural. At the beginning of the 20th century, the church in the former German Quarter, where Bruce was buried, was destroyed, and the count's remains were transferred to the laboratory of the famous anthropologist M.M. Gerasimov to restore his appearance. But they disappeared without a trace. Only the restored caftan and camisole of Bruce have survived, they are in the funds of the State Historical Museum. But there were rumors about the ghost of Bruce, as if visiting his country house.

Not so long ago, a museum was opened in the former Bryusov estate with the help of local historians. Hopefully, its employees will help to clear up the "blank spots" in the biography of one of Peter's most prominent associates. After all, they figured out the trick with the “magically” freezing pond ...

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The personality of the famous inventor-alchemist is shrouded in a halo of the most unusual rumors and conjectures. Ordinary people considered the scientist a warlock, ranked as a sorcerer in the army, according to educated contemporaries, Jacob Bruce was a staunch materialist who was skeptical of religion.

What is the secret of the great scientist, has his unusual knowledge been preserved?

Mystics consider Yakov Vilimovich Bruce a sorcerer of incredible power, the first Russian Freemason, who at one time became the right hand of the great Russian reformer Peter the Great. There were rumors among the people of that time that the most powerful sorcerer in Russia was the author of the creation of a homunculus, he knew how to get living and dead water. During the construction of St. Petersburg, the famous scientist began to search for immortality, which resulted in the creation of the world's first iron man (robot).
Contemporaries believed that Yakov Bruce creates his own spells and performs experiments at night in the Sukharev Tower, keeping notes in the legendary Black Book. If the book is removed without the permission of the sorcerer, the tower will collapse. But the book disappeared, the tower collapsed, and the remains of a powerful magician were stolen.
What is known about Jacob Bruce
The owner of the Sukharev Tower, which was located near the current Sukharevskaya metro station, was born in 1670. The father of the future associate of Peter the Great was forced to flee England due to a conflict with Cromwell, Russia became his new homeland. In his younger years, a representative of a noble Scottish family, the Bryusovs, managed to get the best education at that time, but Jacob became addicted to mathematics and natural Sciences, the passion for which the great scientist carried through his whole life.

Being together with his brother a soldier of the "amusing" troops of Peter, Bruce made a career in the military field, was engaged in diplomacy during the incessant wars waged by Russia of the Petrine era. With the coming to power of Catherine I, after the death of Peter, having risen to the rank of field marshal general, the prudent military man retired, not wanting to participate in the cruel court feud. Having retired on the territory of the estate near Moscow, the former commander took up medical practice, providing medical assistance to the peasants of the surrounding lands. The famous figure of that time passed away in 1735, shortly before his 66th birthday.
The great sorcerer of all times and peoples Among the versatile interests of Jacob Bruce was an addiction to magic, he was attracted by astrology and alchemy, he was the first Russian member of the Brotherhood of Builders. The scientist remained in the memory of his descendants as the author of recommendations for the development of Moscow, based on knowledge of astrology and geomagnetic fields. Some historians believe that Bruce's unusual recommendations were taken into account by Stalin when building up the center of the capital, as well as laying subway lines.


The image of Bruce was firmly entrenched in the memory of the common people as a real warlock and a powerful sorcerer who lived in the Sukharev Tower. The Moscow building, built at the end of the 17th century, inspired superstitious fear in Muscovites with the mysterious flickering of the upper windows of the tower at night. Despite numerous rumors, Bruce was not touched, because he was under the auspices of Peter I himself.
The basis for the Moscow legends about the mysterious book was quite real facts. During the inventory of the scientist's office, many unusual books about magic were found, as well as mysterious wooden planks covered with incomprehensible symbols.
According to popular rumor, Jacob Bruce still had a magic book that once belonged to King Solomon, famous for his wisdom. With the help of this book, the sorcerer could find out the secret of any place on earth, find out where and what is hidden. The magic tome, which was not given to anyone, was hidden in a secret room. So that the Black Book would not end up in the hands of unworthy people after the death of Bruce, the sorcerer, who spoke six European languages, immured it inside one of the walls of the Sukharev Tower. The destruction of the tower itself was attributed to the action of powerful spells from Bruce's book.
Interesting legends about miracles allegedly performed by the sorcerer Bruce have survived to this day. The peasants of the village where the retired military man lived told about the night visits of the fiery dragon to him. The scientist then conducted experiments on the purification of metals from impurities. According to another legend, on a hot July day, the owner of the estate surprised his guests with an offer to go skating on the surface of the pond, which the sorcerer turned into a kind of skating rink.
The idea that the death of the alchemist scientist was the result of his magical experiments was firmly entrenched in the people's memory. Residents of the village of Chernyshino, where Bruce lived, were convinced that the owner was conducting experiments on himself to revive and rejuvenate. Having forced a faithful servant to cut himself to pieces with a sword, the sorcerer ordered that living water be poured over the remains. Since a long time was needed for a full recovery, and then the king missed his associate, and the servant had to confess what he had done.
When Peter ordered to show him the body of the master, Bryus's body almost healed, and the wounds were not visible at all. The royal “arihmetchik”, as the peasants called Bruce, looked asleep, breathed normally, and a completely natural blush played on his face. The indignation of the Orthodox Tsar knew no bounds. He called such experiments an "unclean" affair, ordered the sorcerer's books to be walled up in the walls of the tower, and magic potions simply burned.
In the new reality of the twentieth century, the legends about the sorcerer were corrected, he was credited with the creation of an airship on which Bruce flew to unknown lands, and did not die at all. The very unusual fate of the alchemist, according to researchers, is fraught with many mysteries. For example, where and when did the son of a service nobleman manage to receive such a comprehensive education, which allowed him to become an expert in many fields of science. Indeed, in the "amusing" troops of Peter the boy was recorded at the fourteenth year of his life and was employed in the service until his resignation in 1726.

Great mystic or convinced skeptic

Under cover of secrecy remained information about inner world Jacob Bruce and his life during his ascetic life. Without a doubt, the scientist was attracted by esoteric knowledge, but there is no information about his assessment of secret knowledge, and taking into account some data, Yakov Vilimovich was more of a skeptic than a mystic. Despite the lack of information about the Moscow warlock, in the thirties of the last century, the Sukharev Tower was completely destroyed by order of Stalin. True, there was a rumor among the people that the tyrant was looking for the Black Book, and not having found it, he decided to destroy one of the ancient places of power. Interesting is the testimony of a contemporary of Bruce, who claimed that the scientist did not believe in the supernatural. The alchemist explained the miracle of the incorruptible relics of the saints of Novgorod Sophia by the climate and the property of the earth to embalm the remains of people who lived an ascetic life./span>
In folk legends, information about the destruction of the Sukharev Tower has been preserved. When the leader, enraged by the lack of the Black Book, ordered to blow up the ruins of the structure, among the crowd they noticed the ghostly figure of Jacob Bruce himself, the sorcerer looked at the ruins of his dwelling with extreme disapproval. The remains of the scientist were buried in the graveyard of the church, located on the territory of the former German settlement. At the beginning of the last century, the church was destroyed under mysterious circumstances, and one of the crypts became the last refuge of the great Bruce. The remains were handed over to the anthropologists of the laboratory of M. Gerasimov, who were engaged in restoring the appearance.
The bones of the great alchemist commander disappeared from the laboratory without a trace, only the clothes of the sorcerer - a caftan and a camisole - have survived to this day. The clothes were sent for storage to the funds of the State Historical Museum. On the territory of the former Bryusov estate in the village of Glinka (now it is not far from the city of Losino-Petrovsky near Moscow), local historians managed to open a museum of the famous associate of Peter.
Information about the attempts of archaeological research of the 19th century on the ruins of the Sukharev Tower has been preserved. The head of the excavation claimed that he managed to figure out the mysteries of Bruce, but the archaeologist himself died unexpectedly. Where the remains of the Moscow warlock disappeared, has not yet been found out. The mystery of the Black Book and its location still haunts adepts of magic and fans of the supernatural.

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The secret defends itself. It can be revealed only in the spirit and practice of the Work.
(Idries Shah)

Do you ever get the feeling that wherever fate takes you, it always arranges meetings for you, reveals facts and shows you places related to what is the subject of your greatest interest and affection? For me, such "non-random" coincidences are often associated with the secret brotherhoods of the Tradition.

On this wave, being in Moscow a couple of years ago, I accidentally made two discoveries for myself: 1) in St. Basil's Cathedral I found a secret symbol left by the Master Builders, and 2) I learned something from the history of Sretenka, where the book edition was located " Enneagon-Press, and where my Friends worked then.

It turns out that during the time of Peter the Great, in the area of ​​​​the Sukharevskaya metro station, there was the Sukharev Tower, which was nicknamed the "Tower of the Sorcerer" because of the occupation of an extraordinary person who worked there.

The man's name was Jacob (or Jacob) Bruce, and he was a descendant of none other than King Robert the Bruce - the patron of the Scottish Templars, whose name was associated with one of the most powerful "power centers" of the Tradition in the Old World - the Roslin temple.

Among other sciences, Yakov Bruce was engaged in magic, astrology and alchemy and was the first member of the Brotherhood of Builders in Russia. He became known to his descendants thanks to his work containing recommendations for the development of Moscow, based on astrological and geomantic knowledge. (It is believed that later this work was used by Stalin when building the city center and laying the subway).

There were many rumors about the Tower in Moscow, and the scientist himself, due to ignorance, was called a warlock and a sorcerer. However, since Peter himself patronized Bruce, he was not touched.

Muscovites believed that Yakov Bruce had " a book that revealed to him all the secrets, and through this book he could find out what is in any place in the earth, he could tell who, what, where is hidden". This book, allegedly, was impossible to get: it was not given to anyone and was in a mysterious room where no one dared to enter. This Black book, according to legend, once belonged to King Solomon, and Bruce, not wanting her to fall into the wrong hands after his death, immured her in the wall of the Sukharev Tower.

Until now, I can not help but smile, reading these yahonts of urban folklore. Because any person, even a little familiar with alchemy, immediately understands What meant by The Black Book that reveals all secrets. Every adept of the Great Work had a "book" of this kind.

The alchemist Fulcanelli in his book The Mystery of the Gothic Cathedrals draws the attention of readers to one of the bas-reliefs of Notre Dame Cathedral, where a female figure, symbolizing alchemy, holds two books in her hands - one of them is closed, the other, facing the viewer, is open.

According to Fulcanelli, the book is a hieroglyph of the matter of Making, capable of manifesting the spirit lurking in it after appropriate processing. We have already pointed out that the ancient Sages called their substance liberal , that is, a book. This mineral has a specific structure: it, like mica, consists of crystalline plates that are superimposed on each other, like sheets in a book. According to Fulcanelli's descriptions, the primary matter mineral is usually black color, sometimes with small patches of other colors.

Thus, the book personifies the first matter of the Great Work. Primary, raw matter is "revealed" in the process of transmutation, releasing the universal spirit hidden in it, Quintessence.

Here it is - the answer to the mystery of the "black book" of Jacob Bruce!

According to Fulcanelli, this book is easy to acquire, but it is impossible to open it without a revelation from above.

The Master of Making Nicolas had his own "book" Flamel. To this day, many take literally the story of a certain manuscript called the Book of the Jew of Abraham, which Flamel allegedly acquired in an antiquities shop in his early youth. For 20 years, according to Wikipedia, Flamel tried to unravel the secret meaning of the book. Fulcanelli believes that the famous manuscript, which came from nowhere and where it went, is an invention of the great Adept, intended to instruct the disciples of Hermes. Of course Flamel's "book" was the same "black book" which Yakov Bruce tried to open (it is not known whether successfully or unsuccessfully) in the Sukharev tower in Moscow.

The photograph below shows an extremely interesting allegorical bas-relief carved on
The photo is not mine, but I was in Roslin and saw this sarcophagus, which leaves a very deep impression. It depicts three figures: death with a scythe in the royal crown, a man walking towards the child and holding out his hand to him, and the child himself, sitting on a chair.

The inscription on the sarcophagus readsOmnia mors regis , which can be read both as "Death reigns over everything" and as "Death makes everything regal." The alchemical subtext of the phrase is quite understandable: the person whose figure is located further stands with one foot on a circle with a T-shaped pattern symbolizing primary matter, and with the other foot steps on another circle, already hollow inside. The hollow circle is an image of matter that has undergone complete decomposition and death, and then rebirth, and as a result of transmutation, acquired the properties of a philosopher's stone. Although symbols from the mineral work are used in the allegory, they are equally applicable to the alchemy of the spirit.

The figure of a child (“Truly I say to you, until you become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”) sits on a chair leaning on open book, the symbolism of which, after all that has been said, should already be quite clear to us.

*****

A little more about the word Warlock and related prejudices caused by ignorance. It is believed that the word "alchemy" originally came from the Arabic name for Egypt - Al-Khem, which is sometimes translated as " black earth”, since the art of alchemy came from there. According to Tradition, alchemical knowledge, along with other sciences, was transmitted to humanity by Hermes Trismegistus.

Idries Shah showed the relationship between the words "black" and "wise", coming from the same Arabic root FHM. Depending on the context and pronunciation, the root FHM can also mean "knowledge". In other words, the true meaning of the word "warlock" is a person experienced in the science of alchemical transformation, which came down from people of knowledge from the Black Earth.

Statue depicting St. James, the patron saint of alchemists, in a large hat with a sea shell (a symbol of the Great Work). In his left hand he holds a closed book. Westminster Abbey, XIV V.

******
...Completing the circle and returning to the Sukharev Tower, the place of power of the famous Moscow warlock Yakov Bruce:

In the thirties of the last century, by order of Stalin, the tower was completely destroyed, despite all the petitions and protests of the public. Some suggest that Stalin was looking for Bruce's book, sorting the walls brick by brick, but, of course, found nothing there. If the reason for the demolition of the tower was really the tyrant's search for the Black Book, then the case can serve as an excellent metaphor for how futile any efforts of the people of this world to even approach the Mystery.

...AND no one can open this book except by revelation...

There were also opinions that by demolishing the tower, Stalin was trying to destroy one of the old "places of power", because he wanted to create his own energy structure in Moscow, working for the regime of power. Who knows?

One way or another, the "place of power" on Sretenka, apparently, has not only been preserved, but continues to operate.What may seem like an accident to my Friends at the publishing house is often the result of a rightly focused force that draws like to like unrelentingly and never leaves the holy place empty.

There was no building in old Moscow more mysterious than the Sukharev Tower. Meanwhile, she owes her appearances to secular and quite ordinary events - the struggle for the Russian throne.
On August 8, 1689, the young Tsar Peter, warned of the impending archery rebellion, set off to seek protection outside the walls of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. He was followed by the faithful regiments of his amusing army - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. Soon they were joined by the Streltsy Regiment of Lavrenty Sukharev, who served at the Sretensky Gates of Moscow.
The outcome of this confrontation is well known: Peter I finally established himself as the sole ruler of Russia. Princess Sophia, who incited the archers to rebellion, was imprisoned in a monastery. Moscow, on the other hand, was decorated with another architectural structure. In 1692, at the Sretensky Gate, the construction of a watchtower was completed, which was named Sukharev. It is believed that in this way the king expressed his gratitude to the faithful colonel.
The Sukharev Tower soon lost its defensive significance, and in 1700 the Navigation School was placed here. It was at this time that Count Yakov Vilimovich Bruce first appeared here, whose name has since been inextricably linked with the history of the tower.

Jacob Bruce - one of the closest associates of Peter I, was a representative of an old Scottish family, but was born in Russia. His father, artillery colonel Vilim Bruce, left his homeland before the birth of his son and entered the service of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The story of Bruce's father's resettlement in Russia is no secret: Scotland in the 17th century was a poor country, so even the royal offspring emigrated in search of a better life. Yakov's younger brother, Roman Vilimovich Bruce, became the first chief commandant of St. Petersburg.
Bruce Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and also became a military man. His track record includes participation in the Battle of Poltava and other battles of the Northern War. As a result, Jacob Bruce rose to the rank of field marshal general, became a senator, and in 1721 received the title of count. However military service did not prevent Bruce from becoming one of the most educated people of his time. The range of his scientific interests was unusually wide. He was interested in chemistry and astronomy, mathematics and botany, and was fluent in several European languages.
At the same time, Bruce was interested not only in academic, but also occult sciences. For example, he was seriously fond of astrology.
In 1709 the famous "Bryusov calendar", which was an astrological forecast calculated for a hundred years ahead. It contained a variety of information about upcoming events: weather, crops, wars and peace. In addition, Bruce gave a lot useful tips on which days to "to travel by sea, to fish and to make marriages".
After the death of Peter I, the count left public service and finally settled in Moscow. Since then, scientific research has become the main business of his life.
Unusual for that time, Bruce's activities, as well as the blue "devilish light" that periodically began to radiate from the windows of his laboratory, equipped by him on the upper floors of the Sukharev Tower, soon created him a reputation as a sorcerer and warlock ...

Many more unusual deeds and mysterious stories were attributed to Bruce. It was said that at night all kinds of evil spirits gathered in his tower: devils and ghosts. Muscovites also believed that Bruce had a secret book, with which it was possible to find treasures, which he walled up in the tower wall before his death.

“There is a black book, the Serpent wrote the black book, it passed from the Serpent to Cain, from Cain to Ham. And when the flood came, Ham hid the book in the stone. And when the flood ended, Ham left the ark, went to the stone, rolled away the stone, took out the book and gave it to his son Canaan. And the book went from son to son to the clan of Ham. And the sons of Ham planned to mock God, as the father Ham mocked his father Noah. earth. But God was angry, confused languages, scattered people over the face of the earth, and the book fell into Sodom. And there was no crime that the accursed city would not have committed. The accursed city failed, sins and atrocities disappeared, but the cursed lake and fire did not accept the book Nebuchadnezzar the king got the book. And all sorts of iniquities were committed. And all sorts of iniquities were created for forty-two human centuries, until the kingdoms were destroyed and the book fell to the bottom of the sea. And one Arab for his great sins was taken captive by the righteous king and imprisoned in a copper tower. But the Devil fell in love with the Arab, taught the Arab how to get the book. The righteous city was burned by witchcraft spells, the righteous king and all his Christ-loving army perished, and the same Arab came out of the copper tower, descended to the bottom of the sea and pulled out a black book from the bottom of the sea. And she went for a walk around the world until they buried her in the walls of the Sukharev tower. Until now, she lies there, and there was still no one who could get her out of the walls of the Sukharev Tower. She is bound by a terrible curse for nine thousand years and a thousand."

A.M. Remizov Chertik

It should be noted that the very image of the "black book" in folklore is characterized by the absence of any explanation of how the book was used by its owner. The narrator only points to the very fact of owning a "black book", which he considers as irrefutable evidence that the owner is a sorcerer. force."
According to another point of view, having concluded an agreement with the Devil, the sorcerer receives a black book from him (why is the sorcerer also called warlock), which allows you to summon demons. Before death, the sorcerer must refuse (give) this book to someone, otherwise he will come for it from the grave.
In general, the very symbolic meaning of black is negative for most peoples. In the black sky, in the depths of caves, pits, wells, in deep shadows, something mysterious and dangerous is hiding. Black makes a person's vision powerless, which in itself threatens with danger...
... The Sukharev Tower has not survived to this day. It was demolished in April 1934. The official motivation sounded like this: it interferes with the movement of transport. What guided the authorities in fact - is unknown. According to legend, Stalin personally supervised the dismantling of the building, during which the workers were ordered to look for hiding places and treasures. Indeed, many ancient books hidden there were found within the walls of the tower. But the most important - the Black Book of the sorcerer Bruce - was never found ...