Sampson Cathedral - a special monument to our history and architecture of the early 18th century, built at the behest of Peter I in znamenovanie victory of Russian arms in the Russian-Swedish War and the Battle of Poltava. The battle took place June 27, 1709, the day of St. Sampson. Therefore the future temple was dedicated to the saint Sampson the Hospitable. Cathedral - as one of the oldest buildings in St. Petersburg.

Temple was ordered to erect near the road to Vyborg, in which Russian troops and sent to the war with Sweden. In 1710, he built a wooden church was consecrated. Soon he had organized near the cemetery where the remains were put to rest well-known masters, whose works have become landmarks of St. Petersburg - architects Trezzini, Mattarnovi, Leblon, the sculptor Rastrelli, painters Torelli Caravaque. Later, next to the church was opened a hospice for orphans, wandering beggars.

Tree - a fragile building material. Dilapidation of the Church and the increasing number of parishioners was the reason for building a new, this time the stone cathedral.

Until now, it has not been documented name of the architect of the temple. According to some versions of the authorship of the project is attributed to Domenico Trezzini. This one-storey building is a mixture of elements of the pre-Petrine and European architecture. Bell tower of the church, for example - it is an octagonal pavilion with small windows and a bulbous head that reminds many of the churches in Moscow and Yaroslavl times prior to construction. The temple was decorated dome on a high drum faceted, to which later were added to the four small cupola, which made for a church in traditional Russian architecture, five-domed church.

"Pearl" of the cathedral is its carved wooden iconostasis penalty that easily competes with the creation of Ivan Zarudny Peter and Paul Cathedral. Picturesque decoration of the cathedral, with more than 100 works, is one of the most significant Russian religious painting in the 20-30-ies of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, the temple was moved to a part of the relics of St. Sampson.

In Soviet times, in 1938, serving in the temple have been stopped, the room was used for vegetable storage. At the end of the 20th century it was carried out restoration of the cathedral. There is now a branch of the State Museum "St. Isaac's Cathedral." On weekends, conducted the service.