The Nikolskaya Church, which is in a severely damaged state, is a rare example of pre-Petrine architecture in local cult construction. This feature is also characteristic of the Old Believer Cross-Exaltation Church, built in 1909. In other buildings in Syzran from the 18th to 20th centuries, ancient Russian stylistics did not gain significant prevalence.

The uniqueness of the Nikolskaya Church lies in the fact that early medieval churches, made of facing brick and tracing back to Byzantine traditions, were chosen for its stylization. The church is distinguished by its monolithic structure, high proportions of the main volume, flat facades, a large angular apse, and tall arched windows, the upper contours of which are emphasized by flat semi-circular archivolts.

The church is located in the center of the city, near the former fortress, and is built of facing brick next to the Kazan Cathedral. Like the cathedral, it is situated in the eastern corner of the block, at the intersection of a street and an alley.

Originally, there stood a wooden Nikolskaya Church, consecrated on December 4, 1859. Its appearance is associated with the policy of the Russian state, which sought to reconcile Old Believers with Orthodoxy. Although the Simbirsk province was not a major center of Old Belief, a significant number of its adherents lived in Syzran. In 1859, out of 723 Old Believers in the province, 477 lived in Syzran.

After a devastating fire in 1906, nothing remained of the church of the same faith. In its place, a stone church was built in 1913, which has survived to this day.

The Nikolskaya Church, made of facing brick, is surrounded by a high brick wall that runs along the street and alley. The fence is decorated with pilasters and a frieze of three rows of a curb. The main volume of the church is a two-light square with a large door opening and smaller windows. On the second tier, there are five arched windows. On one side, a rectangular apse with an angular projection adjoins the main volume, and on the other, a refectory with three-masted windows. The decor of the church includes a ribbon rustication covering the walls, an attic with a row of semi-circular kokoshniks, and framing of arched windows made of brick, resembling archivolts resting on semi-columns in niches. Decorative brickwork served to enrich the facades of the church.