The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the outstanding structures of the Stroganov style of Moscow Baroque. It is adorned with carved decor that stands out against the red walls and topped with five domes, emphasizing its significance as the main entrance to the monastery.

In the 19th century, the glue wall painting inside the church was replaced with oil paintings, focusing on scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist. The facades were painted in red-brick color, and the white stone decor was highlighted with whitewashing. In 1872, a new iconostasis appeared in the church, which was lost after the closure of the Lavra in 1919. In 1946, after the restoration of the monastic dormitory, a new gilded carved iconostasis in the Empire style of the first third of the 19th century was installed in the church.

From 1974 to 1978, significant restoration work was carried out on the gate church. Four side domes, dismantled in 1806, were restored, the iconostasis and wall paintings inside the church were updated, as well as the painting in the arch of the gate.

In 2006-2010, the church underwent restoration again. The work began with historical-archival and field studies, cleaning the facades from later paints and studying the painting system, including the diamond rust of the walls and the plant ornament of the white stone elements of the columns and pilasters. These studies allowed for the restoration of the original facade painting system and the repair of the white stone decor.

In 2008, the frames and coverings of the church's domes were repaired, and the gilding of the domes and crosses was renewed. In 2009-2010, work continued on the restoration of the facades, restoring their original polychrome painting in diamond rust, painting the columns in the form of grapevines, and the polychrome painting of the cornices and other details.

In 2013-2015, restoration work was carried out on the wall paintings, stove tiles, icons, iconostasis, replacement of window fillings in the gallery, restoration of granite steps, rafter system of the roof, and the square base.