On Tuesday, February 20th, a ceremony was held at the Polish Embassy in Paris during which Isabelle d’Ornano, a member of the Polish aristocratic families Potocki and Radziwiłł, was awarded the Order of St. Gregory the Great. The ceremony was led by the Apostolic Nuncio to France, Archbishop Celestino Migliore.
The Order of St. Gregory the Great (Latin: Ordo Equestris Sancti Gregorii Magni) is one of the five papal orders of knighthood, awarded to laypersons for exceptional service to the Catholic Church.
During the ceremony, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Jan Emeryk Rościszewski, and numerous gathered guests, many of Isabelle d’Ornano’s accomplishments were read aloud. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, personally presented the award.
Isabelle d’Ornano comes from an aristocratic Polish family. She is the daughter of Count Józef Alfred Potocki, a distinguished diplomat of the Second Polish Republic, and Princess Krystyna Radziwiłł. She spent her youth in Spain and later settled in France. In 1963, she married Hubert d’Ornano, a French count of Polish descent who was a relative of Maria Walewska. Together, they founded the luxury cosmetic brand Sisley. Isabelle d’Ornano is widely known for her charitable activities and patronage of the arts.
