The Ascension of the Lord Church was built in 1866. According to the clerical records from 1915, its construction was made possible by the efforts of merchants Ivan Stefanovich Demenkov and Nikifor Gavrilovich Kamenkov, as well as from the interest on the deposit of commerce advisor Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov and donations from other benefactors.

The church stands out for its appearance and architecture among other churches in Rylsk. Its foundation and the church itself are shaped like a body resembling an ark. This design was likely chosen in honor of the great navigator. The seven-domed church looks beautiful and majestic from all sides. Inside, the iconostasis was made of brick and decorated with wooden carved elements such as casings, belts, cornices, and half-columns. The royal gates with images of angels were covered in gold leaf. The building was plastered and painted white, while the domes were covered with tin and painted blue. The gilded domes and crosses reaching upwards give the church a special beauty and grandeur.

In the 1930s, the Ascension Church was used as a warehouse for the city’s communal services. From 1942 to March 1943, services were held in the church with the permission of the German command. After Rylsk was liberated from the occupiers, the church was closed again: the wooden floors were dismantled, and the casings and royal gates of the altar were removed. The church was again used as a warehouse for building materials. In 1985, the city authorities decided to restore the church and use it as an art gallery. During the reconstruction, it was planned to dismantle the brick altar, remodel the narthex to create a changing room, and use the bell tower as a storage area.

In October 1990, the church was handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church, and since 1991, services have resumed in the Ascension Church.