In the 20s of the 16th century, Archbishop Macarius introduced a communal rule in Novgorod monasteries, leading to the construction of refectories in several monasteries. In 1557, a stone refectory with the Church of the Trinity of the Life-Giving was erected in the Spirit Monastery at the request of the abbot Jonah.

Initially, the Church of the Trinity likely had an altar dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, mentioned in the inventory of 1591. In documents from 1582 and 1686, this altar was mistakenly referred to as a separate church, but when it was abolished is unknown. The first floor of the refectory housed a kitchen, a bakery, and two kvass cellars, while the second floor contained the refectory and the cellarer’s room. The building suffered greatly during the Swedish occupation in 1611 and 1617, as well as from a fire in 1685.

In 1812, an altar dedicated to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God appeared on the upper floor of the refectory, and in 1821, a sacristy was arranged in the northeastern part of this floor. Archbishop Macarius described in 1860 that an ancient two-story building for the sisters adjoined the refectory from the west.

In the 19th century, exactly when is unknown, the refectory and church were partially rebuilt: the central column and vaults of the upper floor were dismantled, a flat roof was made over the refectory hall, and some window openings were altered. The completion of the church was redesigned to have a four-pitched roof. It is likely that the work was carried out in the 20s of the 19th century, as in 1822 Alexander I allocated 10,000 rubles for the repair of monastery churches. In 1910, a new single-story stone refectory building with the churches of Vladimir, Michael of Tver, and martyr Natalia was built south of the Church of the Trinity.

The Church of the Trinity of the Life-Giving belongs to the type of pillarless, five-domed, three-apsidal churches with a sub-church and a basement. The basement consists of a single rectangular room divided by a later partition with an opening. The room is covered by a barrel vault with ribs. Two stone staircases are located in the western wall. The main volume of the church is designed unconventionally: the supporting arches on the sails support the central drum with a low spherical vault. The facades are adorned with elegant decor featuring arches and niches with pointed finishes. The church is built of limestone slabs with a brick facing on lime mortar. The church's roof is shingled, the apses and drum domes are covered with patterned tiles, and the refectory has a gable roof.

The Church of the Trinity of the Life-Giving is a highly artistic example from the mid-16th century, possessing a number of unique compositional, structural, and decorative features, as well as harmonious proportions. It suffered significantly during World War II but was restored in 1963 according to the project of architect T. V. Gladensko.