Mikael Martin Haugen was born on July 6, 1878, his parents being Thorius Hansen Haugen from Kongsberg and Elen Marie Nikaelsdatter from Skedsmo. At the age of 34 he decided on the name Marcello, having heard through his grandmother that he was entitled to this Italian, aristocratic family name.

(Thorius Hansen Haugen, Marcello's father)

Living as a large family of many children in a small house on the river Numedalslågen at Sandværsmoen, they witnessed the death of their father in an accident in the local silver mines, where he used to work as a foreman. Marcello was then only 12 years old. He followed up on his mother’s wish and started an apprenticeship as a baker, which he completed. In 1895 the family moved to Kristiania (Oslo), where his mother Elen Marie, or “Mother Haugen” as she was usually called,  started her own little dairy shop in Gamlebyen (the Old Town).  She was a strong-willed, daring and gifted woman who provided well for her children, even if resources were meagre.

Marcello realized quite early that he had the capacity for so-called “clear-sight”, but he did not yet understand how to exploit this natural, inborn gift. He started working at the railroads as locomotive cleaner at Hamar, and later at Otta. In 1908 he was promoted to stoker. In the Gudbrandsdal valley Marcello came in contact with a number of people and experienced for the first time how he was able to help them, using his strange talents, spiritual powers and clear-sight. His reputation spread quickly, and he was soon considered a famous man in the valley.

At this time Marcello bought a piece of land and built a small cottage near the Mesna waterfalls, which he decided to call Svarga. It was situated some half-hour walking distance from Lillehammer, where the whistling waterfalls created such a pleasant atmosphere. Later, more houses and chapels were constructed, which he visited regularly on his daily walks.  An even bigger chapel, the “chapel of the soul”, came next, and this he visited daily, either alone, or with his friends and family. The main building was erected in 1929 and was originally a big paddle-steamer from the US, with tower and bridge, transported in parts to Norway!

Mother Haugen, his sister Inga and her daughter Borghild Haugaløkken ran for many years a small café here, where cakes, coffee, beer and soda were sold and enjoyed in good company.

In 1915 Marcello was given a piece of land on a small mountain plateau, the Thokampen, not far away from the Pillarguri mountain top, above Otta in the Sel region. It consisted of an acre of land with a splendid view towards the Rondane mountain region, the steep hillsides around and Otta deep down in the valley. Marcello once saved the farmer Bredevangen, who lived at the Thogården, from an accident near the river Otta, when his horse bolted. This explains about the gift.

The small cottage was called Sameti. It was immediately made available to the public by placing a key next to the front door. Thousands of people have visited the place over the years, local people as well as people from both home and abroad, school classes etc. The property was turned into a foundation in 1983.

In 1913 to 1914 Marcello had a one-year leave to travel through Europe. He visited among other people Rudolf Steiner in Germany, whom he had previously met during one of his lectures on anthroposophy in Kristiania. Marcello felt attracted to transcendental issues which Steiner was examining and wanted a better understanding of his own spiritual powers. For a while he stayed within the close circle of people around Steiner and made friends with several scientists of both sexes.

Marcello travelled on to Austria-Hungary where he also visited Emperor Franz Joseph. The Emperor was so impressed with his powers that he offered Marcello a position as an advisor, which Marcello courteously declined -.  Marcello was even summoned to the general staff in Berlin who wished to hear his advice on a possible major political conflict in Europe. His fame as a soothsayer was now common knowledge throughout Europe.

On his travels Marcello visited Kaernten in Austria where he ended up falling in love with a countess’s daughter and bought both a church and a castle. Marcello, being both a good-looking, mysterious and exciting man, was well liked by women and easily attracted to them. Still, he never married.

After arriving back home in Norway he quit working at the railroads. Marcello wanted to work officially as a nature healer and clairvoyant, but was turned down after applying for permission through the King.

Johan Thorvaldsen, a master builder and businessman, who lived on a big state near the end station at the tram-line in Ullevål Hageby, Oslo, gave Marcello a building site of about an acre. This was done because Marcello had treated and healed Thorvaldsen for an illness the general practitioners could not get the better of. On this site "Villa Arjuna" was erected in 1920. Marcello brought along his mother to Arjuna, so she could stop working so hard at the dairy shop.

At Arjuna there were from the outset long queues filing up of people who wanted his services, something which had already started when living with his sister, Inga Gylder, at Parkveien 76 in an apartment on the third floor. 

Thorvaldsen and Marcello had several joint ventures, among them buying shipowner Lindvik’s big estate at Bygdøynes in Oslo and running a shipping company, which was even in operation during the Second World War. As a result of his business interests Marcello was now a man of considerable wealth, but he cared little for money. He led a simple life, but at the same time showed a thoughtful consideration for his nearest family. He was also generous with gifts towards his many friends.  There were many big gatherings and parties both at Arjuna and Svarga.

Marcello loved reading books, whenever he had the opportunity. He liked reading Indian literature, and through his reading found a strong interest in learning languages. As a result of this Marcello is said to have mastered several foreign languages.

In 1920 he published his first book, a fairy-tale about the Creation and man’s relationship to it. 3 years later he published a short book called “Reflections on a Day”, where he put in concrete form his most central thoughts about life and how to live it.

When the Second World War broke out, Marcello established a family joint-stock company which managed his estates and capital. He moved to Svarga for good, where he lived until his death on December 30, 1967, a date Marcello predicted with great accuracy!

Marcello’s capacity for work was rather extreme. All through the years from 1940 to 1967 there was a steady influx of people wanting to benefit from his services, sometimes in the region of 100 a day! People queued up for hours, even days, to get relief from pains, healing, help to recover precious personal objects, help with finding water, counselling of all sorts, etc. There was somebody on the phone virtually all the time.

Marcello Haugen is today considered a myth. He guided people and healed them and got famous far outside his home country of Norway. He lies buried at the Vestre Aker Cemetery in Oslo, sharing the grave with his mother and sister, Inga.