Located a few kilometers from Yalta is one of the most famous places in Crimea, the resort village of Livadia. Every year, thousands of tourists come here to visit the Livadia Palace, which served as the summer residence of Russian tsars. During the tour, guests are shown the palace church, where three generations of emperors prayed: Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II.

In 1860, the Department of Estates acquired the estate of Count L.S. Potocki for the construction of the palace. Emperor Alexander II gifted Livadia to his wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, who suffered from tuberculosis and needed treatment in the south. Architect Ippolit Monighetti was tasked with creating an architectural complex that included two palaces, service rooms, greenhouses, pools, and the palace church. The church, converted from a Catholic church in 1864, was oriented to the south rather than the east, as is customary in Orthodoxy. Monighetti designed it in the Byzantine style, inspired by the ancient Greek church of Saint Luke. The temple was intended for the imperial family and their close entourage. The building is cross-shaped, elongated from north to south, and adorned with a dome on a light drum, which was later replaced. The eastern wall is decorated with arched windows, and the design features ornaments in the style of the Caucasus.

The interior of the church is also done in the Byzantine style by artist Izello based on Monighetti's sketches. The icons were painted by the famous artist Alexander Yegorovich Beydeman, who was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus of the 2nd degree for his work. A special decoration was the iconostasis made of white marble, with royal gates and altar doors made of carved bronze. On either side of the iconostasis were two analogs: one with the church icon, the other with an ancient image adorned with precious stones. Silver candlesticks stood in front of the iconostasis. The vault of the church was blue with golden stars, symbolizing the sky, and a chandelier hung in the center. A small door led from the church to the sacristy, from where one could enter the office of Emperor Alexander III.

Next to the temple, a bell tower was built according to the design of D.I. Grimm, decorated with carved ornamentation. Under Alexander III, a marble column was erected in memory of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. Due to a leaking roof, the main icon was damaged and replaced with a mosaic made by A. Salviati's firm in 1888.

During the reconstruction of the palace in 1910-1911, architect N.P. Krasnov preserved the church building, making minor changes. He enlarged the chapel and closed the gallery connecting the temple to the palace. The portal was adorned with a mosaic icon of the Archangel Gabriel, created in the workshop of Professor P.P. Chistyakov, who also painted the new narthex.

Important events for the royal family and Russia took place in the Livadia church. In 1894, Alexander III died here, and a requiem and the oath of Nicholas II were held. Saint John of Kronstadt anointed Nicholas's bride, Princess Alice of Hesse, who became Princess Alexandra Fyodorovna. However, the wedding of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna did not take place in Livadia due to objections from relatives.

After the establishment of Soviet power, a sanatorium was opened in Livadia, and the church was closed and used as a club, warehouse, and museum. Only the mosaic of the Archangel Gabriel and the bell tower reminded of the past. The iconostasis and marble cladding did not survive, and the walls were painted to resemble gray marble. However, the mosaic panel on the theme of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross retained its brightness.

In 1991, services resumed in the church. The revival was slow: first, a plywood iconostasis appeared, then an oak analog with carvings. Carved oak kiots for the icons of the Mother of God "Sovereign" and Saint John of Kronstadt were installed to the left and right of the altar.