St Sampson's Cathedral – a special monument to our history and architecture of the early 18th century, built by order of Peter I in a sign of the victory of Russia in the Russo-Swedish war and in the battle of Poltava. The battle took place on June 27, 1709 in Saint Samson's day. Therefore, a future temple and was dedicated to Saint Sampsonia the Strannopriimtsa. The Cathedral - one of the oldest buildings of St. Petersburg.

The temple was ordered to build near the road leading to Vyborg, in which Russian troops and went to war with Sweden. In 1710, built a wooden Church was consecrated. Soon near to it was organized by the cemetery where were buried the remains of famous artists, whose works have become landmarks of St. Petersburg - the architects Trezzini, designed, Leblon, sculptor Rastrelli, painters Torelli, Caravaque. Later, near the Church opened a hospice for orphans, and beggars wandering.

Wood – durable construction material. The decay of the Church and increase the number of parishioners was the reason for the construction of a new, this time a stone Cathedral.

Still has not been documented the name of the architect of this temple. In some versions, the authorship is attributed to Domenico Trezzini. This one-story building is a mixture of the pre-Petrine and European architecture. The bell tower of the Church, for example, is an octagonal dome with small Windows and a bulbous head that is reminiscent of many churches in Moscow and Yaroslavl times preceding the construction. The temple itself was decorated with faceted dome on a high drum, to which were later added four small domes that have turned the Church into a traditional Russian architecture of the five-domed Church.

The "pearl" of the Cathedral is its penalty carved wooden iconostasis, which easily competes with the creation of Ivan Zarudny in the SS. Picturesque decoration of the Cathedral, with more than 100 works, is one of the most significant in the Russian religious painting of the 20-30th years of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century the temple was moved the relics of Reverend Sampson.

In Soviet times, in 1938, serving in the temple were discontinued, the building was used as a vegetable warehouse. At the end of the 20th century was carried out the restoration of the Cathedral. There is now a branch of the State Museum St Isaac's Cathedral. Weekend masses are held.