The Savior Church in Poltava is a true architectural gem and one of the most significant monuments of the past, adorning the city to this day. It witnessed the heroic defense of the Poltava fortress in 1709. In 1705, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior burned down near the Kurilov Gates of the fortress. The rector Ioann Svetailo sought help from Colonel Ivan Iskra, and in 1706, a small wooden church named the Savior Church was built on the site of the burned temple, originally intended as temporary. However, after the Battle of Poltava, it gained historical significance, becoming a symbol of Peter I's victory over the Swedes.

According to legend, at the Savior Church, the fortress commandant Colonel A.S. Kelin read a letter from Peter to the Poltavans, in which the tsar thanked them for their courage and urged them to hold out until the main forces arrived. The residents vowed not to surrender the fortress, and the Swedes were unable to capture it. After the battle, the tsar prayed in this church for victory, a thanksgiving service was held here, attended by the autocrat, and the fallen defenders were buried in the square nearby. The Savior Church entered history, and it was decided to preserve it for future generations. In 1837, Tsarevich Alexander, the future Emperor Alexander II, visited Poltava and ordered the church to be preserved. According to the project by architect A.A. Ton, in 1845, a stone casing in the form of a single-domed church was erected over the wooden building, and on June 27 of the same year, the temple was consecrated. In 1847, a three-tiered bell tower was built and consecrated in front of the western entrance.

During the Soviet era, the Savior Church avoided being turned into a grain storage or an atheism museum, although it was closed for services in the 1930s. Services resumed in 1942 during the German occupation, but the bell tower and the Holy Gates were lost. In the 1960s, the historical fence was demolished, and burials in the cemetery were destroyed, including the graves of the clergy and defenders of Poltava from 1709.

In 2002, architect V.A. Tregubov developed a restoration project for the Savior Church complex, including the reconstruction of the bell tower, fence, and Holy Gates, as well as landscaping the area. By the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, the bell tower was restored.