The cathedral was located on the site of the current "Dynamo" stadium and Lipki park, at the intersection of Radishcheva, Volzhskaya streets, and Kirov Avenue.

The fund for raising money to build a new cathedral in Saratov was established in 1785 by Empress Catherine II, who contributed 15,000 rubles to it. However, the final decision to erect the church was made only on August 26 (September 7) 1814, after the victory in the war with France. On August 30 (September 11) 1815, His Grace Athanasius, Bishop of Penza and Saratov, conducted the ceremony of laying the cathedral. The church was built in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812 through the efforts of Governor A. D. Panchulidzev and voluntary donations from the city's residents.

The architect appointed by Emperor Alexander I was V. P. Stasov. The stone building was designed in the style of Russian classicism, with columns on all sides and a low stone dome. The latter caused disputes that proved to be justified. Early in the morning of April 24 (May 6) 1824, when the work was nearly completed, four internal columns could not bear the weight of the dome, and it collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured.

The provincial architect Suranov was replaced as the head of construction by his assistant T. V. Petrov, under whose guidance a new dome, this time wooden, was erected in two years. The building had two floors, the first of which was sunk into the ground. The main altar was located on the upper tier and was consecrated in honor of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky. Two chapels were consecrated in the name of the Archangel Gabriel and Saints Zacharias and Elizabeth. The lower church had three altars: the central one in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and on the sides in the name of Saint Mitrophan of Voronezh and the great martyrs Barbara and Catherine.

On March 28 (April 9) 1826, Archimandrite Arseny of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery solemnly consecrated the church. In 1840, with funds from the wife of Collegiate Councillor M. F. Dmitrieva, a three-tiered bell tower was laid, the construction of which lasted five years under the guidance of the architect who completed the cathedral. More than 300,000 rubles were spent on the cathedral, and the bell tower cost 75,000. The cathedral housed the remains of Saratov saints Euphemius (Belikov) and Abraham (Letinsky), and the banners of the Saratov militias of 1812 and 1855 were kept there.

Since the late 19th century, the issue of repairing and expanding the cathedral was actively discussed, but these plans were not realized, and by the beginning of the 20th century, the building had become dilapidated. By decree on December 9 (22), 1911, the Holy Synod rejected all reconstruction projects for the cathedral and decided to conduct only major repairs, which included a slight increase in the internal area by removing two large stoves and reducing the solea. The work began in April 1913 and cost 130,244 rubles. The building's plinth was finished with cement, the walls were repainted light gray, the tiles in front of the cathedral were replaced, and the domes, heads, spheres, and crosses were repaired and gilded. Inside, electric lighting, ventilation, and new steam heating were installed, the iconostases were restored, and the "Society of Russian Artists in Petrograd" completed new paintings in the altars and on the walls.

On December 4, 10 (17, 23) 1914, celebrations were held to mark the completion of the repair work, attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire N. A. Maklakov. On December 5 (18), Bishop Palladius of Saratov and Tsaritsyn re-consecrated the main altar after the all-night vigil, and the next day re-consecrated the left chapel in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker and the saints glorified during the reign of Nicholas II: Theodosius of Chernigov, Joasaph of Belgorod, Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow, Pitirim of Tambov, and the holy elders Seraphim of Sarov and Anna of Kashin. In the upper church, there was also a right chapel in honor of the Archangel Gabriel, the holy martyr Simeon, and the blessed Xenia. In the lower church, there were three altars: of the Apostle Paul and Mitrophan of Voronezh, the Resurrection of Christ, and the great martyrs Catherine and Barbara. The clergy included a protodeacon, a key-keeper priest, two priests, a protodeacon, two deacons, two subdeacons, and two psalmists.

In the first years after the revolution, services in the cathedral continued regularly. On February 9, 1924, the building was handed over by the SarGubispolkom to the Renovationists. The unpopularity of Renovationism repelled parishioners, and in 1926, the active removal of valuables from the empty church began. On December 18, 1929, at a meeting of the presidium of the executive committee of the councils of the Lower Volga region, the question of liquidating the cathedral due to its neglect was discussed. It was planned to use the premises for housing tractors and combines of the agricultural engineering department of the agricultural institute.

From June 21, 1930, to December 1, 1931, the building was occupied by a club of cooperative artisans of Sarpromkredsoyuz. Until the end of 1931, a theatrical technical school was located in the basement. The last owner of the premises was the sports society "Dynamo." Starting March 22, 1932, the building began to be systematically dismantled. During the Great Patriotic War, two anti-aircraft guns were installed on the ruins of the cathedral. On the vacant lot formed after the final demolition of the church, the "Dynamo" stadium was opened in 1945.

Parts of the foundation and, presumably, the tombs of the archbishops still lie beneath the main sports facility in the center of Saratov. Since the early 2000s, cautious opinions have been expressed about the need to restore the lost shrine at its historical site.