The history of the Poltava shrine is unique. After the Battle of Poltava, Tsar Peter I ordered the establishment of a men's monastery in honor of the victory over the Swedes, with two churches: the upper one dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, and the lower one, Sampson's, in honor of Sampson the Hospitable. However, the decree was not implemented.

In 1840, I. S. Sudiienko, a privy councilor, donated 100,000 rubles for the construction of a church on the field of the Battle of Poltava. In 1841, the project by architect I. I. Sharleman was approved and revised in 1848. The church in honor of Sampson the Hospitable was laid in 1852 and consecrated in 1856 with funds from Sudiienko. The first church was small, in the Byzantine style, with a central dome and four decorative cupolas. Opposite it, two stone houses for the clergy were built.

In 1887, a school for boys was opened at the church, where the teacher was hieromonk Khariton Karpilensky. In 1888, more than 30 students attended the school, and in 1889 it was transformed into a church parish school. Services became daily, as students and their relatives visited the church. In 1892, with funds from Bishop Ilarion, a new school building for 50 students was constructed, and in 1899, a three-grade teacher training school was opened.

The church became cramped, and in 1890, the chief prosecutor of the Synod, K. P. Pobedonostsev, supported the expansion of the temple. The architect of the Synod, Nikонов, developed a reconstruction project. By the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, the bell tower was completed according to the project by S. V. Nosov, a marble iconostasis was installed, the interior was painted, and a painting depicting Peter I was placed on the facade. In 1909, the first Museum of the History of the Battle of Poltava opened at the church, operating until 1918.

The church suffered during the years of persecution and was closed in 1948, but in 1990 it was handed over to the Orthodox community. In 2003, the bell tower was restored to its original appearance.