The wooden church is first mentioned in the land books of 1629 as the church of Great Martyr Nikita and Saint Alexius. Sometimes clarifications were added to the name, such as "near the Dedilov gates" or "in the posad." In the 18th century, it was called the church of the great martyr Nikita, "which is known as old," in contrast to the New Nikita or Sretenskaya church at the corner of the modern streets of Metallists and Sovetskaya. By the mid-18th century, the church had fallen into disrepair, and the refectory, bell tower, and chapel of Metropolitan Alexius were rebuilt. In 1758, merchant Ivan Fomich Luginin added a chapel in the name of the holy martyr Haralampius. In 1779, the church was repaired and consecrated in 1789. In 1820, the one-story Old Nikita church was dismantled and rebuilt as a two-story structure. The lower church was consecrated in 1821, and the upper one in 1827 in the name of the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring." In 1850-1851, thanks to the efforts of church elder A. I. Zhdanov, a new iconostasis was made. In 1852, according to the will of merchant Mikhail Ivanovich Strukov, a chapel in the name of Archangel Michael was built in the refectory on the second floor. The bell tower, built in 1755, lost its gilding a hundred years later. In 1863, thanks to the efforts of church elder Mikhail Mikhailovich Strukov and parishioners, the gilding was restored. The bell tower had 7 bells, and the iconostases of the upper and lower churches were gilded with the funds of M. M. Strukov and other merchants. Of all the images in the church, the most revered was the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring," known for its miracles. In the early 19th century, it was located in the house of the Luginin merchants, and later with the merchants Ivan and Peter Luginin. One of the miracles was the healing of merchant Yakov Babaev from blindness. Before her death, Agrippina Luginina bequeathed to transfer the icon to the Old Nikita church, which was done in 1818. The icon was often taken to the homes of townspeople, and on holidays the church was overcrowded. Therefore, when the church became two-story, the upper church was consecrated in the name of this icon.

In 1894, a church parish school was opened at the church. Initially, it was located in a house purchased for 950 rubles from the heirs of archpriest Lyubomudrov, but the building was dilapidated. In 1902, it was decided to build a new building for the school, and two years later it was ready. In 1903, on the night of the feast of the great martyr Nikita, a fire occurred in the church, destroying the iconostasis and dome. More than a thousand rubles were needed for restoration, which were not available. A member of the board, N. A. Zubarev, with the consent of his employer, provided the necessary iron for repairs. The church gave its name to two Tula streets: Nikitinskaya and Old Nikitinskaya.

The church was closed on February 16, 1930, by the decision of the presidium of the Moscow Regional Executive Committee. Initially, it was planned to use it as a school, but the building was transferred to the Tula Mechanical Institute for laboratories and workshops. These laboratories were located in the building for almost 65 years. Later, the building was used by a division of the Institute of Physics of the Earth. In 1991, the church was recognized as a monument of history and culture of regional significance. In 1994, an article was published in the newspaper "Young Communard" about the eviction of tenants from the building. The freed premises housed the theater studio "At the Tolstoy Post." It was planned to open an exhibition hall and an icon painting school, but these plans were not realized. In 1995, the cast-iron porch collapsed, and in 1998, a fire destroyed the building. No repairs were made, and the building is gradually deteriorating. The Nikita church is part of the treasury of the city of Tula but cannot be restored at the expense of the budget, as it is property of religious designation.