Stasov

Stasov (sometimes spelt Stassov; Russian: Стасов) is one of the oldest aristocratic families in Russia founded in the 15th century by the 1st Duke Stasov Dmitri Vasilevich. It’s a quintessential family of Russian intelligentsia.

Stasov family coat of arms

Prominent figures:

• the famous architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov (1769–1848),
  • His daughter Nadezhda Vasilievna Stasova (1822–1895), was a philanthropist and women's rights activist. She organized week-end schools for workers and daycares for workers’ children. She also helped found the Bestuzhev Courses, which made higher education available to Russian women for the first time.
  • His son, Dmitry Vasilievich Stasov (1828–1918), was a notable advocate who took part in the foundation of the Russian Music Society.
    • Dmitry's daughter Elena Dmitryevna Stasova (1873–1966), joined the Communist movement in 1898. As a leader of the Bolshevik Party in St. Petersburg she was exiled to Siberia in 1913–16. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 Stasova was a secretary of the Bolshevik party and from 1921-1926 a Comintern representative to the Communist Party of Germany.
  • His son Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (1824–1906), was the most respected Russian critic during his lifetime.