[2] According to one version supported by Max Vasmer, the name of the town originates from Old East Slavic тихъ (Russian: тихий), which means "quiet".

[11] It was first mentioned in 1383 as Predtechensky pogost (Предтеченский погост), when a chronicle reported that a wooden Church of the Dormition was built here.

[2] Later, in 1495–1496, Y. K. Saburov, a clerk in the Novgorod Cadastre, mentioned the "...Tikhvin parish and in it, a wooden church..." Its location at the intersection of trade routes which connected the Volga River with Lake Ladoga and the Baltic Sea ensured its rapid development.

In 1507–1515, funded by Vasili III of Russia, on the spot of the burned wooden church, Dmitry Syrkov of Novgorod constructed the monumental stone Cathedral of Dormition, which stands to this day.

Special importance was placed on the haste of its construction; therefore, the Tsar permitted the use of peasants from twenty rural divisions to assist in building it.

In the spring and summer of 1560, the large Monastery of Dormition and the smaller Vvedensky convent were simultaneously built, as well as two trade and industrial settlements with various buildings for residential, economic, and religious purposes.

Thus, on the spot of an ancient settlement, an important fortified stronghold was created, which would play a large role in the defense of the northwestern borders of Russia.

Tradespeople, sheltering behind the fortress walls of the monastery, survived a prolonged siege and numerous attacks before routing the Swedish army.

The fight ended with the expulsion of the Swedes from the area, marking the beginning of the liberation of the Novgorod region from Swedish and Polish forces.

In the 16th century, in addition to the cathedral, a stone refectory was built, and a church dedicated to the birth of the Mother of God was erected in 1581.

As a result of these works, a highly artistic ensemble of historical and architectural monuments was created on the territory of the monastery, which is mostly preserved to this day, although in the 18th and 19th centuries some of the cloister buildings underwent reconstruction which altered their original appearance.

In 1723, after a prolonged fight, the inhabitants of Tikhvin were freed from monastery control and obtained their own administration, a magistrate who answered to Novgorod Province office.

[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with nineteen rural localities, incorporated within Tikhvinsky District as Tikhvinskoye Settlement Municipal Formation.

[4] In Soviet times, the largest employer in Tikhvin was a heavy machine factory, known as Transmash up to 2001, where tractors and defense equipment were manufactured.

In addition to the cathedral, a number of notable buildings are preserved around the square, including the hotel "St. Petersburg" (now Sberbank) and the "Guest Court", which was closed for many years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but has been completely restored and now functions as a shopping center.