GALLITZIN, ADELHEID AMALIE, princess of. - Catholic noblewoman, b. 28 Aug. 1748 in Berlin, daughter of the field marshal Count von Schmettau, d. 27 Apr. 1806 at Angelmodde near Münster.
Baptized and educated in the Catholic religion, she subsequently embraced the principles of the Enlightenment. In 1768 she married Prince D. A. di Gallitzin, ambassador of the Tsarina at The Hague. During the first phase of her cultural formation, she was guided by Fr. Hemsterhuis, an eclectic and Platonizing philosopher, representative of a humanistic religiosity. In 1779, moved by her interest in the reforming activity of the minister Fr. V. Fürstenberg, she moved to Münster. Contact with Fr. H. Jakobi and J. G. Hamann and, above all, the new Catholic environment led her back to the Faith. Around her there formed the familia sacra of Münster, a circle of important figures which contributed greatly to the revitalization of Catholic life in Germany. Among its members, B. Overberg, L. V. Stolberg, and the three brothers V. Droste-Vischering stood out in particular, including Clemente Augusto, the future cardinal archbishop of Cologne.
Works: Briefwechsel und Tagebücher der Fürstin A. V. G. (ed. Chr. Schlüter, 2 voll., Münster 1874-76).