The lecture will trace how Petersburg became one of the centers of charity: from the first timid forms of assistance to orphanages, benevolent societies, and initiatives of the high society. The lecture will allow us to see how a culture of care was formed in the city - from the first attempts at support to a developed network of institutions and societies. The conversation will focus on the time when the institution of charity did not yet exist in the modern sense. Assistance to children, people with special needs, the sick, and those in difficult situations was composed of various practices: private charity, church care, government initiatives, and the activities of wealthy citizens. These steps were not always precise, but they laid the foundation for the future system. Particular attention will be paid to orphanages, benevolent societies, and those structures that dealt with education and medical support. The lecture will cover the journey from the emergence of charitable practices to their flourishing and modern state. We know what to see in St. Petersburg.