On the embankment of the Tsna Canal, opposite the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, lies one of the three known holy springs discovered by the first Tambov bishop, Saint Pitirim. The other two springs, also opened by Pitirim, are located in the village of Tregulai on the grounds of the former Ioanno-Predtechensky Men's Monastery. Since its opening in the late 17th century until the 1920s, the holy spring near the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was a site of mass pilgrimage.

In 1914, to celebrate the canonization of Saint Pitirim of Tambov, a water blessing chapel was built over the spring. Its construction from metal structures was funded by the widow of Russian Emperor Alexander III and the mother of Nicholas II, Empress Maria Feodorovna. A beautiful marble staircase led from the cathedral to the spring.

After the revolution, the authorities decided to destroy the spring: the chapel was demolished, and the spring was buried under earth. However, the spring broke through to the surface again, and the site became a pilgrimage destination once more. City authorities repeatedly attempted to bury it with soil and debris, but the spring continued to emerge. This led to the assumption that it is fed by an underground river that surfaces at this location.

In the 2000s, the spring near the Preobrazhensky Cathedral was revived, and the area around it was improved. In 2007, a metal chapel was erected over the spring. Metropolitan Theodosius of Tambov and Rasskazovo aimed to create a spiritual center at this holy site: to restore the alley leading to the chapel and to reconstruct the architectural ensemble. Near the chapel, he planned to install a bust of Emperor Nicholas II, who visited Tambov in 1914 and walked along this alley. In February 2016, Metropolitan Theodosius consecrated the dome and cross, which were soon installed on the newly built chapel. On August 10, the Day of the Assembly of Tambov Saints, among whom Saint Pitirim is especially revered, Metropolitan Theodosius conducted the rite of consecration for the reconstructed chapel. A monument to Nicholas II was unveiled along the alley leading to the chapel.