Sofia Vladimirovna Golitsyna

Countess Sophie Vladimirovna Stroganova (née Princess Golitsyna; Russian: Графиня Софья Владимировна Строганова née Княгиня Голицына; 11 November 1775, Moscow – 3 March 1845, St Petersburg) was a Russian noblewoman. Early life Sophie was born in Moscow on 11 November 1775. She was a daughter of Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn and his wife Nathalia Petrovna. Among her siblings were Prince Boris Vladimirovitch Galitzine, Princess Ekaterina Vladimirovna Apraksina (who married Stepan Stepanovich Apraksin), and Prince Dmitry Golitsyn (who married Tat'jana Vasil'evna Vasil'čikova). Sophie received a wide education and spoke perfect French. After their return to Russia following the French Revolution, they lived in the city in winter and in summer they lived on Viaziomy Manor, 40 km to the west of Moscow. Career She translated Dante's Divine Comedy into Russian and became a lady in waiting at court as well as a close friend to the German-born empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. She rebuilt and embellished Maryino Estate near Andrianovo and Saint Petersburg and had Alexandre Teplaoukhov design a park for it. After the deaths of her husband and only son, she inherited most of the Stroganov residences and estates, which she rebuilt or embellished on advice from the architect Charov, whose admission to the Saint Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts she had ensured and whose studies she financed. She also founded a school for agriculture, landscape art and forestry in Saint Petersburg (1823–1844) and set up a pension fund for her servants and workers.