The site of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God deserves special attention. In 1579, the miraculous discovery of the icon glorified Russia, and today Christians around the world honor Kazan as the place of the Virgin Mary's apparition. This holy site is recognized and visited by all Christians: Orthodox, Old Believers, and Catholics. Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a church at the site of the miraculous icon and the establishment of a convent with cells and a fence. The decree was carried out: a wooden church was built in the name of the Holy Mother of God Odigitria and a monastery fence was erected. In 1595, a stone church was built, which served until 1798. In that year, on May 30, a new cathedral was laid, consecrated in 1808. The idea to build a chapel at the site of the icon's apparition arose during the visit of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna to Kazan on July 13, 1910. Before her departure, she wished to visit the site of the apparition, located under the altar of the main church. The Grand Duchess descended to the lower level of the cathedral, prayed for a long time, and expressed regret over the neglected state of the site. Abbess Varvara suggested establishing a chapel in memory of the three-hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and the duchess agreed to participate in this holy endeavor.

During the Soviet era, the Kazan-Bogoroditsky Monastery suffered. The cathedral was used as a storage facility for bread, grain was poured under the iconostasis, and in 1932 it was destroyed along with the site of the icon's discovery. The bricks from the destroyed church were used to build pavilions for the film studio 'Vostokkino', which later housed evacuated tobacco factories. The site of the former church was partially asphalted, a utility yard was arranged, and a checkpoint for the tobacco factory was built. After the territory was transferred to the revived monastery, an archaeological expedition led by Professor Z. M. Slepak of Kazan University conducted excavations in the summer of 2000. The goal was to find traces of the summer church and the cave church. Traces of the structure were discovered, including part of its apse, where the entrance to the 'cave' chapel of the cathedral was located. In 2008, a chapel was erected here in memory of the site of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, with the blessing of Archbishop Anastasius of Kazan and Tatarstan.