The Goritsky Assumption Men's Monastery was founded in the first half of the 14th century during the reign of Ivan Kalita and received its name due to its location on a hill. Nothing remains of the ancient wooden structures. In 1382, the army of Tokhtamysh destroyed Pereslavl-Zalessky and the Goritsky Monastery. Shortly before this, Grand Duchess Evdokia, the wife of Dmitry Donskoy, came here on a pilgrimage. She and a few others miraculously escaped from the Tatars by floating on a raft to the middle of Lake Pleshcheyevo and hiding in thick fog. In gratitude for her salvation, Evdokia restored the monastery at her own expense in 1392. A tradition arose in Pereslavl to hold a procession by boat from the Goritsky Monastery to the middle of the lake on the sixth Sunday after Easter. The righteous Daniel, the founder of the Trinity-Danilov Monastery, was ordained in this monastery and lived here from 1495 to 1525. Many pilgrims flocked to him. Grand Duke Vasily III invited Daniel to be the godfather of his son Ivan, the future Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The monastery was often visited by tsars and their families, and many royal gifts accumulated in the sacristy. Since the 16th century, stone buildings appeared in the monastery, testifying to its wealth. In the 17th century, the monastery owned large lands and about 5,000 peasants. In the second half of the 17th century, the monastery was surrounded by a new stone fence with towers, Holy and Passage Gates. The Holy Gates with the over-gate Nikolskaya Church represent a sample of the combination of ornamentation and Moscow Baroque. The lower tier with a wide arch was built in the mid-17th century and decorated with patterned brick, while the upper part with the church was added in the late 17th century. The passage gates in the eastern wall of the monastery are considered a masterpiece of 17th-century architecture. They are low and served more for practical purposes, but their decoration attracts attention. Above the massive arches are figures of two horses. The upper structure was built in the 19th century.

The walls of the monastery were completed in the 18th century, but their height was less than that of ancient fortresses, as they no longer had defensive significance. The loopholes were made more for decoration. The towers on the northern side of the walls are decorated with great artistry. In the 19th century, a bell tower was built into the northern wall with a view of Lake Pleshcheyevo. In 1887, a hurricane severely damaged the towers, and they stood without roofs for a long time. Only in the 1950s-1960s were they restored. In 1744, the Pereslavl Diocese was established, and the residence of the archbishop was placed in the Goritsky Monastery. For this, many ancient buildings were demolished. A new complex was decided to be built on the site of the old cathedral, including the Assumption Cathedral and the refectory with the Church of All Saints. The refectory with the church was built in the late 17th century. The building was reconstructed in the 18th and 19th centuries, and many elements were lost. They were restored only in the 1970s.

Construction of the Assumption Cathedral began in the mid-1750s. It is surrounded by covered galleries with arched windows, with a large apse adjoining it from the east. The cathedral is topped with five domes. The interior of the cathedral is rich in stucco and paintings in the Baroque style. The iconostasis was made under the guidance of Yakov Zhukov. The interiors suffered from winter cold, as the cathedral was not heated. After the diocese was abolished, the monastery was closed, and the cathedral temporarily served as the main city cathedral.

The bell tower with the Epiphany Church began construction in the 1760s and was completed in the 1780s. The bells were removed and transported to St. Petersburg. Now there is an observation deck on the bell tower with a view of the city.

In the mid-18th century, a pond was dug in the monastery for fire protection. In 1925, fruit trees were planted around it. Construction in the monastery ceased after Catherine II's decree on the secularization of lands in 1764 and the abolition of the Pereslavl Diocese in 1788. The unfinished Gethsemane was dismantled in 1881.

In the late 19th century, a building for the spiritual school was added to the refectory. The school existed until 1918, after which a museum was established in its walls. Now there is an art gallery there. During the Soviet era, a local history museum was created in the monastery. In 1963, a bust of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky was transferred to the museum. In the 1960s, two wooden chapels from the villages of the Pereslavl district were moved here.

Currently, the Goritsky Monastery houses a museum. In winter, the Assumption Cathedral and the bell tower are closed for visits.