The original church in the village of Yelokhovo near Moscow was built in 1722-31 for Tsarevna Praskovia Ivanovna.

The architecture is typical for the late Empire style, with some elements of European eclectics.

The church has been well-maintained, even in the Soviet era, and is known to have a 1970 air conditioning system using deep subterranean water from a 250 meters (820 ft)-deep artesian aquifer.

The Christmas and Easter night services, which featured President Boris Yeltsin and Patriarch Alexius II, were aired on national television until the consecration of the rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2000.

The most popular shrines of the cathedral are those that house the relics of St. Alexius of Moscow and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.