In the 1860s, the residents of Zhuravlevka decided to build a church, which was linked to the rapid growth of the city and the inclusion of their territory within it. The population of Zhuravlevka, as well as nearby hamlets and villages that later became part of the St. Peter and Paul parish, was increasing. It is estimated that there were about 3,000 parishioners, including state peasants, townspeople, merchants, and nobles.

The parish assembly decided to erect a church in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul, as there was no church in the city dedicated to these saints, and the altars in other churches required repairs or had been destroyed. Before this, the residents of Zhuravlevka attended the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The initiators of the construction were parishioners who headed the building committee. Among them were Kharkiv merchants Ivan Vasilyevich Yakovlev and his wife Pelageya, Alexey Ivanovich Levchenko, Ivan Gavrilovich Vikrev, Anna Ilyinichna Checherina, and peasant Dmitry Petrovich Stronov. In 1870, Ivan Vasilyevich Bolotov bequeathed 25,000 rubles for the construction of the church, which was to be built first after his death. Bolotov, a first-guild merchant, was engaged in trade and donated to churches, but at the end of his life decided to support a major project. At that time, it was customary among wealthy people to leave large sums for charity, which was considered a national trait of Slobozhans.

After submitting a petition to the Consistory, the church project developed by the diocesan architect was approved, and in 1872 construction began. The building committee, which included merchants Yakovlev and Levchenko, as well as peasant Stronov, purchased a plot of land from General Kozlyaninova for the construction of the church. Later, another plot was bought for the priest's and deacon's house. The land plan and purchase deed were submitted to the spiritual Consistory in 1882 by the first rector of the St. Peter and Paul Church, Nikolai Pantelimonov.

By 1875, the church was built in the shape of a ship with three altars. A house for the parish school was built on the southern side. On September 21, 1875, Archbishop Savva consecrated the northern chapel, where there was an altar in honor of Blessed Vasily, the heavenly patron of Vasily Bolotov. The main altar in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul was consecrated by Bishop Benjamin on September 5, 1876. The last altar in honor of John the Baptist and martyr Pelageya, patrons of the Yakovlev merchants, was consecrated by Archbishop Ambrose on October 12, 1886. The church was supported by donations, which amounted to 4,850 rubles. The frescoes inside the church were painted by Moscow artist Ivan Chelyapov.

In 1902, a parish school was established on the church grounds, which later passed to the city. In 1907, the construction of a church-parish school was discussed. Free education was an important step towards universal education. In 1896, there was only one Sunday school in Zhuravlevka and its surroundings, where literacy, the Law of God, arithmetic, and other subjects were taught.

In December 1909, the first meeting of the "Circle of Zealots of the Orthodox Church" took place in the church, attracting the interest of 250 people. In 1910, cholera spared the parish. In 1917, with the onset of the revolution, the Bolsheviks changed the usual way of life, issuing decrees on the separation of church and state, banning processions, and teaching the Law of God. Parishioners attempted to hold a procession, but the authorities prohibited it.

With the arrival of German-Haidamaka troops, the Bolsheviks continued their agitation, but their calls found no response. In August 1919, parishioners participated in a prayer service on the occasion of the city's liberation from the Bolsheviks. Priest Nikolai Smirnov wrote that with the new government, life began to improve.

The St. Peter and Paul Church functioned until 1937, when its rector Andrei Tolmachev was arrested and shot in 1938. In 1945, the church was registered by the authorities, and services resumed. During the war, the church suffered from a fire set by retreating Bolsheviks and was used by the Germans as a barn.

The church's domes were replaced with new, larger ones, and it became a five-domed church. Restoration work was carried out inside, electrical wiring was installed, water was brought in, and the floor became wooden. The church grounds were improved.

In 2003, restoration work began. The church was plastered and whitewashed, a new floor was laid, and painting began. From 2004 to 2006, the painting in the academic style was completed. In 2004, work was done in the altar, and a new iconostasis and wrought-iron fence were installed. In the evening, the church is adorned with artistic lighting, making it one of the attractions of Kharkiv.