The Belo-Berezhskaya Monastery was founded in 1714 as the Belo-Berezhsky Precursor Skete in the picturesque area of the White Banks of the Bryansk district of the Oryol province. The founder was monk Serapion, in schema Simeon (+1741). On February 9, 1721, Emperor Peter I issued a decree transforming the Skete into a Monastery, appointing monk Serapion as the builder and entrusting him with the construction of a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. In 1755, a stone two-story church with four altars was built to replace the wooden church, dedicated to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, with chapels in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

In 1777, the Monastery was abolished and annexed to the Bryansk Peter and Paul Monastery. In 1800, Elder Vasily (Kishkin, +1831), a disciple of the Athonite and Moldavian elders, became the head of the Monastery and revived it. In 1804, the Monastery regained its independence, and its abbot received the title of builder. From 1804 to 1808, the Monastery was led by the Venerable Lev Optinsky. From 1847 to 1856, a stone five-tiered bell tower with a clock was built, and in 1878, a new five-domed two-story stone cathedral was consecrated in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Three-Handed." A Skete with a wooden church was arranged near the Monastery. By 1916, the monastery had 9 churches and 32 buildings, including the abbot's, brotherhood, refectories, hospital, guesthouse, almshouse, and various workshops, as well as horse and cattle yards. In the mid-19th century, about 200 people lived in the Monastery, and by 1916, around 400.

The main shrine of the monastery was the Icon of the Mother of God "Three-Handed," brought to the Monastery by Elder Serapion on July 12, 1824, from which numerous miracles occurred. On festive days, the Monastery was visited by up to five thousand pilgrims. The monastery was renowned for its hospitality and fed 300-400 needy people for free during famine years. It also had a large library and archive. In 1918, the confiscation of the Monastery's property began. The brotherhood united into a labor commune and continued services. From 1920, a children's labor colony was established in the monastery, and the brotherhood was evicted. From July 26, 1924, services ceased. All churches were destroyed, and a children's sanatorium was built on the site of the Cathedral. Only one tower and a small section of the wall from the monastery fence survived, while most of the buildings were destroyed.

On January 14, 2004, the territory of the monastery with its buildings and communications was transferred to the Bryansk Diocese. By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on August 17, 2004, the male monastery of the Belo-Berezhskaya Desert in honor of the Nativity of the Precursor and Baptist of the Lord John was restored, and Hieromonk Gleb (Shmatov) was appointed as the abbot. Currently, the Bryansk Diocese is conducting repair and restoration work on the territory of the Monastery.