In 1398, Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod asked Savva, or Sabbas, one of the first disciples of Sergius of Radonezh, to come to his capital city and set up a monastic abode.

At first, only one wooden church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was established on the high Storozhi hill above the Moskva River.

[5] During the Napoleonic Wars, on September 12, 1812, the Italian corps of viceroy Eugene Bograne defeated Wintzingerode's squadron of light cavalry under the monastery walls.

St. Sabba visited Prince Eugene in a dream, promising him a safe return home if his soldiers would not plunder the monastery.

The monastery was ransacked and pillaged, including the tomb of Saint Savva, made of gold plated silver, then the monks were chased out and finally the cathedral was left to ruin.

[7] The monastery is a well known touristic attraction on top of being a site of pilgrimage, and is readily accessible from Moscow by a combination of railroad and bus transport.

A hotel run by the monastery offers accommodation to pilgrims and tourists wishing to remain overnight.

These deal with several subjects of local history, the life of the nobility and royal family, and religious icons from the 17th to the early 20th century.