Teofila Działyńska (Szołdrska-Potulicka)

Teofila Działyńska
Portrait by Antoine Pesne
Born(1714-12-28)December 28, 1714
Kórnik
DiedNovember 26, 1790(1790-11-26) (aged 75)
Kórnik
Noble familyDziałyńscy (of the Ogończyk coat of arms)
SpousesStefan Maciej Szołdrski
Aleksander Potulicki
IssueFeliks Antoni Ignacy Szołdrski
FatherZygmunt Działyński
MotherTeresa Tarłówna

Teofila Działyńska, née Działyńska, primo voto Szołdrska, secundo voto Potulicka (28 December 1714 – 26 November 1790), was a Polish noblewoman and landowner. She was the owner of Kórnik Castle and its surrounding estates.

In Polish popular culture, she is known as the “White Lady” (Biała Dama), a legendary ghost said to haunt Kórnik Castle, inspired by her portrait preserved there.

Coat of arms

Teofila Działyńska belonged to the Działyński noble family, which bore the Ogończyk coat of arms, one of the oldest Polish heraldic emblems.

Legacy

Teofila Działyńska is traditionally associated with the legend of the White Lady of Kórnik, one of the most famous castle ghost stories in Poland. According to local tradition, her spirit appears at night dressed in white, wandering through the castle halls.

The legend is closely connected to her portrait, attributed to Antoine Pesne, which hangs in Kórnik Castle and has become a central element of the story.

Burial

She was buried in Kórnik, where her tombstone is preserved.

Wikimedia Commons

References

  • Jan Seredyka, Księżniczka i chudopachołek , Wyd. Uniwersytetu Opolskiego, Opole 1995, ISBN 83-8567-844-1 .