The church is located in the center of the city, next to the city park. It is a stone five-domed church with a tiered bell tower, built in the shape of a "ship".

The Nikolsk chapel was erected in the late 15th century and housed an icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, found at this site. Over time, the Nikolsk cemetery appeared next to the chapel, and a church was built instead of the chapel. Later clerical records indicated that according to the scribal books of Yuri Strozhiov and his associates from 1620, a wooden church in the name of Saint Nicholas existed long before this. However, in 1786, the wooden Nikolsk church burned down in a fire.

From 1788 to 1833, a stone Sretensky Cathedral was built on the site of the old church. It was constructed with the joint efforts of peasants, townspeople, and other benefactors. The provincial architect Pyotr Bortnikov successfully chose the style of the building, considering the need for a large church. Until 1810, the church was single-story, and by 1833, the upper cold church was completed. The bell tower was added a little later. An old cemetery was preserved next to the cathedral. Services in the cathedral continued until 1929.

During the persecutions against the church, the temple was seized from the believers, and the bell tower was dismantled. In 1937, the cathedral building was damaged by fire but was restored. For a long time, it housed a cultural center. After the fire in 1987, attempts were made to restore the cathedral; it almost regained its former appearance but remained ownerless. In 2005, another fire destroyed the roof and interior decoration of the church, leaving only the walls. After that, the cathedral was abandoned and began to deteriorate rapidly, with walls collapsing by 2013.

The cathedral did not belong to the Vologda diocese and was not recognized as a monument of architecture. The district budget could not cover the restoration, and donations from local residents did not come in. The charitable fund opened by the district administration for the restoration of the church received almost no funds.