The stone church, located at the southern holy gates of the monastery, was consecrated in honor of Saint John the Theologian back in the late 17th century. However, after the fire of 1815, it suffered significant damage. In 1820, the church was dismantled and restored through the efforts of Abbess Sophia, Princess Bolkhovskaya. In 1825, the Pushkin family donated 550 rubles for the interior arrangement of the church, and in 1826 it was consecrated in honor of the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia. In 1857, the walls and roof of the church were repainted, and in July of the following year, a new dome was installed in place of the old one. On December 30, 1863, the abbess of the monastery, Abbess Dorothea, presented a project to Kazan Archbishop Athanasius for the dismantling of the Sophia temple and the construction of a new two-story building with a church, refectory, and hospital. However, due to the death of Abbess Dorothea and lack of funds, the project remained unrealized for a long time and was ultimately significantly altered.

On January 8, 1866, Abbess Callista informed the construction committee that the monastery could only begin the construction of the new stone building if at least half of the necessary amount was available. Abbess Anphia was ordered on October 16, 1867, to take all possible measures to start the construction of the hospital building with a church and to seek funds. However, due to a lack of funds, Abbess Anphia was unable to fulfill the order, and in March 1870, the Spiritual Consistory ordered the construction committee's activities to be suspended. The remaining funds from the project were directed by Abbess Anphia to purchase wax for the candle factory, which brought good income to the monastery. In 1883, Abbess Dorothea altered the 1863 project and began the construction of a new stone building with a temple in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross to the right of the Sophia temple. Thus, the gate church of Sophia, which had been awaiting reconstruction and demolition for more than twenty years, stood for over a hundred more years and is still preserved today.