The Simonov building of the Archbishop's house with the Church of the Nativity of Christ was built in 1667-1670 during the archbishop of Vologda and Belozersk, Simon. This is the second oldest stone building of the Archbishop's courtyard. It is likely that the altar of Stephen of Perm was transferred to the Church of the Nativity of Christ from the previous household church.

The Simonov building with the Church of the Nativity of Christ was once considered the most luxurious building not only in the episcopal residence but also in all of Vologda. Over time, it underwent various changes and lost its original appearance. After the construction of new apartments in the Archbishop's courtyard, Bishop Joseph the Golden moved the household church to the Cross Chamber of the Simonov building. In 1841, the church in the Cross Chamber was abolished, the ceiling was destroyed, and the room was combined with the third floor, creating a two-light hall. Later, the Cross Chamber was painted by the Yaroslavl artist A. Kolchin, known for his works in the Sofia and Resurrection Cathedrals. After the church was abolished, the consistory archive was located here. In the early 1860s, the five domes were replaced with one dome.

After the closure of the Archbishop's courtyard in the 1920s, the former church housed a museum exhibition, and in the basement, the museum's funds. As a result of the restoration in the 1960s and 70s, the Simonov building with the Church of the Nativity of Christ regained its former splendor, restoring the decor of the eastern facade, kokoshniks, and the open gallery, but the later form of the church dome remained unchanged.

The connection of chambers, utility rooms, and the household church in one building was common in Moscow church architecture of the 17th century. The Patriarchal Palace with the Church of the Twelve Apostles in the Moscow Kremlin, built by Patriarch Nikon in 1635-1656, likely served as an example for the Vologda Simonov building. The high square of the Church of the Nativity of Christ continues the eastern part of the Simonov building. The small church occupied part of the second floor, the highest and brightest. The main room of the church is covered with a vaulted ceiling with arches above the windows and doors. The third floor, accessed by an internal staircase, was an attic space used as a sacristy. Above it is a fourth tier with shallow niches and three windows in the eastern wall. Originally, the church was topped with a lavish five-domed structure; now, there is one late dome, and the roof is four-pitched. Like all church buildings of the Archbishop's courtyard, the Nativity Church is oriented with the altar to the north. The altar part has a quadrangular shape and is covered with a barrel vault. The attic space is illuminated by five slit windows, and the corners are emphasized by paired half-columns. From the altar side, the church is connected by an arched passage to the gate church of the Exaltation. The northern and southern facades are divided by pilasters into three sections. In the Simonov building, the first floor housed the kitchen, bakery, and storerooms; on the second, the archbishop's cells with the ceremonial Cross Chamber, the main hall for official receptions; and on the third, the servants' rooms. Along the eastern facade of the building runs an open gallery, built in 1776, replacing the previous gallery that extended in front of the Gavriilov building. The facade of the church at the level of the gallery is adorned with a white stone slab with an inscription about the church's foundation.