On April 25, 1825, the management of the Alexandrovsky Cannon and Foundry Plant received permission from the Department of Mining and Salt Affairs to build a factory church, and Metropolitan Seraphim of Novgorod blessed this initiative. A commission was established to organize the construction, chaired by Adam Armstrong, the manager of the Olonets mining plants. The architect Alexander Ivanovich Postnikov from the Department of Mining and Salt Affairs won the competition for the best church design. The solemn laying of the temple took place in July 1826. Funds for construction were allocated from the treasury and came as donations from the plant workers.

The construction of the cathedral was carried out under the guidance of engineer Pietro Carlo Maderni from 1826 to 1832. The iconostasis was created under the supervision of master A. Bobrov from Kexholm, and the icons were painted by artist A.S. Chizhov. The bell tower, located in a square tower on the southern side, housed eight bells of varying weights. On January 27, 1832, the feast day of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop Ignatius of Olonets and Petrozavodsk consecrated the main altar of the church in honor of the holy and righteous Prince Alexander Nevsky. The side chapels were dedicated to the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In January 1888, a church school was opened at the temple with funds from priest Father Vasily Nimensky and with the support of the Olonets Diocesan Council for the children of factory workers.

In 1929, the cathedral was closed by the decision of the general assembly of workers of the Onega Plant and the Petrozavodsk City Council. The building was transferred to the city local history museum, during which all five domes were demolished, and an inter-floor ceiling and basement for storing exhibits were arranged inside. The first museum exhibition in the former church opened in 1931. In 1991, the temple was returned to the Petrozavodsk Diocese. In the fall of 1993, the restoration of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral began according to the project of architect V.G. Kopnin. The exterior of the cathedral was restored to its original appearance, except that the domes were not gilded previously. The new interior design, including the iconostasis and other elements, does not match the style of the building. On May 9, 1995, Bishop Manuel of Petrozavodsk and Karelia held the first solemn service. In July 1996, gilded crosses were installed on the domes. On June 29, 1999, eight bells, made in Voronezh using ancient technology, weighing from 7 kg to 1.5 tons, were consecrated and installed on the bell tower. The reconstructed cathedral was adorned with a gilded iconostasis made at the Russian Orthodox Church enterprise 'Sofrino'.

On June 3, 2000, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia consecrated the church, which became the cathedral of the Petrozavodsk and Karelia Diocese.