In the report of the commission that examined the Ilyinsky church in 1946 before its transfer to the faithful, it is noted: "This building with a tower spire 18 meters high, possessing original beauty, successfully complements the overall view of the city." Indeed, thanks to its spire, the Ilyinsky temple has a significant impact on the urban landscape. The architect who designed the Kozlov church was likely inspired by the bell tower of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. This opinion is shared by local historian Oleg Sazonov, who has devoted much time to studying the Ilyinsky temple. Although the church exhibits features characteristic of the Rastrelli style, they are expressed less vividly. For example, one can find similarities between the Ilyinsky church and the Peter and Paul temple in Peterhof, authored by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Compared to the Petersburg buildings of Rastrelli and his students, the Ilyinsky church is more modest and closer to Peter's baroque, but its composition corresponds to Rastrelli's baroque. It is possible that the temple's project could have been created by Moscow architects such as I.F. Michurin or D.V. Ukhtomsky, but documents indicate an order from St. Petersburg.

The architecture of the Ilyinsky church deserves attention. The small dome crowning the temple is not characteristic of Elizabethan baroque, which sought a traditional five-domed structure. The side facades of the church are such that, when viewed separately, one might think it is an administrative building or a manor wing. The altar is divided into two tiers: the first is decorated with rustication, the second with pilasters. By the mid-1980s, the spire's covering was half-destroyed.

Restoration work began in 1993. "Michurinskaya Pravda" wrote about this: "The roof has a complex shape, especially difficult to cover is the base of the spire, as sheets of complex configuration are required. Each sheet is unique. Blanks are cut according to drawings and formed below, then lifted up with ropes." The height of the bell tower is 67.5 m, with the cross, 71 m. The total area of the temple is 1135.5 sq. m, with the main area being 852 sq. m.

In 1911, a correspondent for the "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" described the church as two-storied: the lower floor was warm, the upper, cold. The lower church was dark and cramped, the upper, bright and spacious, both adorned with rich iconostases and artistic icons. A special attraction in the lower church was the royal gates, made in 1897 from gilded bronze and silver, a copy of the gates from the Moscow Chudov Monastery. By 1946, when the church was handed over to the faithful, it had neither iconostases, nor frescoes, nor utensils. A simple repair was carried out: the walls of the lower church were whitewashed, and the upper one was painted with oil paint. The iconostases were made of wood and painted. In 1992, the church was returned to the diocese; it was empty and neglected. The priest and parishioners, upon entering the church for the first time, discovered that there were even no baseboards. Museum workers, leaving the building, took everything possible. Now the interiors of the church have been restored without frills, but solidly. The upper church is particularly good, bright and spacious, as noted by pre-revolutionary authors, but the lower church is also cozy.