It was constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of the Italian architect Aloisio the New on the spot of an older cathedral, built in 1333.

The new building incorporated many elements of the Italian Renaissance, and numerous of these details (considered “exotic” by Moscow standards) disappeared during later repairs and restorations.

His mother Elena Glinskaya was a daughter of Prince Vasili Lvovich Glinsky of Lithuania and Serb Princess Ana Jakšić.

Of note is the tomb of Tsarevich Demetrius, the son of Ivan the Terrible, who was buried there in the early 17th century and was later canonized.

A large portion of the church's treasures were either transferred to the Kremlin Armory Museum, or sold overseas.

The icon of Archangel Michael, the oldest in the iconostasis, is believed to have been created for Princess Eudoxia, the wife of Dmitri Donskoi to the memory the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo.