In the fourth issue of "Historical and Statistical Information about the St. Petersburg Diocese," published in 1875, it is stated that the church of the holy apostles Peter and Paul was built in 1785. This date is repeated by later researchers. However, archival documents from the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg indicate that the construction of a new church of Peter and Paul in Serdobol began in 1794 due to the inconvenient location of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The wooden Peter and Paul church was consecrated in 1799. On the map of Serdobol from 1788-1790, the Orthodox church is absent.

A request for the construction of a new church was sent in 1794, and on October 16 of the same year, Metropolitan Gabriel of St. Petersburg issued a permit for construction. The construction progressed slowly, and the church was consecrated only on July 30, 1799. By 1825, the building had deteriorated, and correspondence about funding repairs began. By the decree of Emperor Nicholas I dated May 30, 1830, the Commission of Spiritual Schools paid for the repairs, and in 1839 the church was renovated.

According to the description in the Historical and Statistical Information, the church had a cross shape with a flat ceiling, without a dome and decorations. The wooden roof was arranged in two slopes, with two domes covered in iron and topped with wooden crosses. The windows were elongated with iron grilles. The interior walls were painted light blue, and the floor was yellow. The iconostasis had three tiers. The bell tower was octagonal. This temple replaced the old Nikolsk church, which was located on an island two versts from the city. In 1839, the temple was renovated.

By the mid-19th century, the building had again deteriorated, and by 1863 it began to collapse. The old wooden church was dismantled in 1877, and the iconostasis was preserved until 1891, when it was installed in the reconstructed Church of St. Nicholas on the island of Riekkalansaari. Until 1892, the site of the dismantled church remained a wasteland.

In the summer of 1857, the Governor-General of Finland, F.F. Berg, visited Serdobol and appealed to the Holy Synod for funds to build a new church. In 1861, the design was entrusted to architect G.I. Karpov. In 1866, the project was completed, but the Ministry of Transport required changes to the facade. A new project was created by architect K.E. Lazarev. In 1869, the project was approved, and the Eliseev brothers took on the construction of the stone church. Architect N.P. Grebenka oversaw the construction. In 1870, the site for the temple was consecrated, and by September 1871, the church was almost ready. The consecration of the chapels took place in 1872 and 1873. The Eliseev brothers were awarded orders for the construction.

The church had a cross shape with a dome on an octagonal drum, an altar apse, and a bell tower. The architecture of the church belonged to the eclectic style of the second half of the 19th century. The iconostases were made according to Grebenka's designs. Initially, there were seven bells in the bell tower. In the early 20th century, electricity was installed in the church, and a fence was planted around it. In 1913, the church became a cathedral. During the Soviet-Finnish War, the cathedral was not damaged but was closed in 1940. In 1943, the cathedral was consecrated again.

After the war, the main altar was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1946, the church was reopened, and one bell was transferred from the Olonets church. In 1963, the ringing of the bells was prohibited, but it was resumed in 1986.

Today, the Church of St. Nicholas is the main temple of the Sortavala Orthodox parish. In 2001, Patriarch Alexy II visited Sortavala and held a service in the Nicholas church. In 2002, Archbishop Manuel consecrated the renovated altar. In 2011, the figures of cherubs under the main dome were restored.