Initially, a wooden church with a refectory was built on the site of the streets Vorotishi and Stara, consecrated in honor of the Exaltation of the Cross. The parish was small, and the church servants received a salary from the state, called "ruga." In the city inventory, this church is mentioned as "ruzhna."

In 1750, the wooden Exaltation church was dismantled, and with the funds from the parishioners, a stone church was built with an altar in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, called "Joy of All Who Sorrow." In 1787, a chapel was arranged in honor of the nine holy martyrs, "who are in Kizitsa," and a bell tower and fence were also erected.

The church was restored in 1952.

On December 31, 2009, the temple was transferred to the Vladimir Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, after which it was assigned to the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in Vladimir. On January 6, 2011, Archbishop Evlogy Smirnov of Vladimir and Suzdal held the first service in the church.

The Sorrowful Church represents an unusual combination of a "winter" type of temple and an octagonal bell tower attached to the western side, featuring the characteristic concave tent of Suzdal.

The small one-story rectangular building with a deep apse is adorned with carved window frames and a cornice made of green and red balusters, which is unusual for Suzdal.

The bell tower with the Suzdal "pipe" tent resembles the bell tower of the Nikolskaya Church. Its facades are decorated with shallow four- and eight-sided niches, crenellated cornices, and majolica balusters.