In the late 18th century, the first city hospital for the people opened in St. Petersburg, known as Obukhov Hospital, named after the eponymous avenue and bridge. It had a department for the mentally ill, colloquially referred to as the 'yellow house', and a morgue where Nikolai Pirogov conducted research on corpses. After 'Bloody Sunday', wounded individuals were brought here, as well as the body of Sergei Yesenin. Today, the building in classical style houses the Military Medical Academy.

On the banks of the Fontanka River, where Obukhov Hospital is located, Minister Artemy Volynsky lived in the 18th century, executed for free-thinking. On the site of his house, requisitioned by the treasury, a dog kennel was later established, where royal figures observed bear hunting with dogs. This place had a bad reputation that lingered for a long time.

The first 'city hospital for the common people' of St. Petersburg officially opened on August 16 (27), 1780, although it had already been receiving visitors. It consisted of six wooden buildings, each with ten beds, and had a department for the insane. The hospital staff included one doctor and four assistants, so patients with mental illnesses often served as attendants. Like many buildings in the capital, the hospital was painted yellow, which gave it the popular name 'yellow house'. It was there that Hermann from Pushkin's 'The Queen of Spades' was placed. By that time, the asylum may have already been located outside St. Petersburg on the Peterhof road and called 'Joy of All Who Sorrow'. It was patronized by Empress Maria Feodorovna during the reign of Nicholas I.

A few years after its opening, a large stone building for three hundred patients was constructed for the hospital, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi. It was built under the supervision of the chief surgeon of Catherine II, von Khelkhen, and modeled after the Vienna hospital. Fifty years later, a women's department was added, designed by Peter Plavov. Two wings adjacent to the Vvedensky Canal were designed by I.V. Storm, one of which was called 'the princely' in honor of the patron Prince Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg.

In the early years of Obukhov Hospital, conditions were harsh: poverty, dirt, and hopelessness. It was here that Levsha from Nikolai Leskov's story was sent to die. The hospital was not free, and the prices for services constantly rose.

The situation changed under Chief Physician Fyodor Ivanovich Glinka, who organized a model institution based on European standards. A school for paramedics was opened at the hospital, the territory was transformed, and a pool for patients was created. The wards became spacious and clean, with the name and age of the patient, diagnosis, and admission date indicated above the beds. Patients could visit the doctor daily in the morning.

In the mid-19th century, surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov operated at Obukhov Hospital, where he first used ether for anesthesia, marking a breakthrough in surgery.

The church 'Joy of All Who Sorrow' at Obukhov Hospital was built at the initiative of Empress Maria Feodorovna. The small church was located in a building designed by architect D. Quadr. Maria Feodorovna donated church utensils and books, while Nicholas I provided a vestment made of gold and precious stones. It was consecrated in July 1828.

The church was painted by Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov and his students. The images of 'The Resurrection of Christ' and the Mother of God 'Joy of All Who Sorrow' were especially revered. Later, the church was expanded, and a chapel was added. It established the first charitable society in Europe to help the poor. In the early 1920s, the church was closed, and the interiors were not preserved.

There was also a church in the women's section of the hospital dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, but it did not survive.

Wounded individuals were brought to Obukhov Hospital after the shooting of a peaceful procession to the tsar, known as 'Bloody Sunday'. Authorities had prepared the hospital in advance to receive the wounded and dead. On January 9, 1905, a peaceful demonstration of workers heading to the Winter Palace was shot in St. Petersburg. The casualties numbered in the hundreds, which finally undermined the people's faith in the tsar.

In 1925, the body of Sergei Yesenin was brought to the hospital, who, according to the official version, took his own life at the 'Angleterre' hotel.

In 1940, Obukhov Hospital was transformed into the Naval Medical Academy. Memorial plaques dedicated to doctors and scientists are installed on the buildings. In the garden stands a monument to Nikolai Pirogov, who created his atlas of anatomy here.

Famous doctors such as Nikolai Fyodorovich Arendt, Vladimir Mikhailovich Kernig, and Alexei Alexeevich Troyanov worked at the hospital. Among the patrons were secret and state councilors, lieutenant generals. The hospital is adorned with memorial plaques dedicated to luminaries of medicine.

During World War II, Obukhov Hospital housed a hospital, and it was transformed into the Military Medical Academy. The old buildings needed restoration. Recently, the historical fence of the hospital, erected in 1839, was restored. Restoration work is ongoing in most of the hospital's premises.