The Ascension Cathedral in Kursk, also known as the Ascension Church, was built in 1888 thanks to the efforts of parishioners and benefactors. Before this, the residents of the Cossack settlement attended the Mikhailov Church on Arkhangelskaya Street, now known as K. Liebknecht Street.

The church is made of brick and has five domes. The architectural style combines late classicism with elements of eclecticism. The main church, which has four pillars, is connected to a three-tiered bell tower, and the side facades are adorned with porticos.

The right chapel is dedicated to the Protection of the Mother of God, while the left is dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. In 1888, icons of the Mother of God of the Quick Hearer and the Great Martyr Panteleimon were brought from Mount Athos.

In 1893, thanks to the efforts of parish priest John Ershov, a stone single-story building for the church parish school appeared in the churchyard.

The most famous rector of the church was priest Alexey Karasev, who served from 1909 to 1915. He was a well-known choirmaster, organizer of singing courses, and author of works on church singing pedagogy. His fate was tragic; in the 1930s, he was shot. Karasev's house on Kurovaya-Begovaya Street, 5, has survived to this day.

Before the revolution, one of the sources of income for the clergy of the Ascension Church was 33 desyatinas of arable land rented out. In 1907, two wooden houses for clergymen were built on church land. A third house, purchased by parishioners in 1887, was used for the residence of the psalmist. In 1919, part of the parishioners took under their care a home church in the Znamenskaya Grove, where services were held on Sundays and holidays.

In 1940, the church was closed by the decision of local authorities. However, parishioners did not allow it to be looted. Upon learning of the closure, local residents, including Cossacks, surrounded the church, preventing its closure. During the Great Patriotic War, the church reopened its doors for services. It is believed that a special grace is present in churches that have not been closed or desecrated. The Ascension Church in Kursk is the only one that has not actually been closed since its consecration and to this day.

From the 19th-century construction, besides the church itself, two buildings have survived: the church parish school and the priest's house, as well as a cemetery on Michurina Street, previously called Cemetery Street.