The Nicholas Church was founded in 1883. On May 4, 1886, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Orenburg and Urals, His Grace Benjamin II Smirnov. The reason for the construction of the brick church building was a fire that destroyed the wooden structures of the Cossack stanitsa and fort, which gave the region the name "Forshtadt." During this difficult time, the idea of construction arose, initiated by the Cossacks of the Orenburg stanitsa under the guidance of the custodian and contractor E.G. Kolokoltsyev. The project was developed by engineer-captain V.P. Sakharov.

The church, laid in 1883 with funds from parishioners, was consecrated in 1886 by His Grace Benjamin II. Initially, it had one altar dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and from 1910 it became a three-altar church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God and Saint Great Martyr Panteleimon.

In 1936, the church was closed, and all its relics were removed. The building was used for various needs: first as a dormitory, and after 1942, for storing archives evacuated from Moscow and Leningrad of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On April 12, 1944, the church was reopened. From 1955 to 1958, it was painted by a talented local artist, Vladimir Rublev. In 1968, a fourth altar was consecrated in honor of All Saints.

Since the millennium of the Baptism of Rus, a favorable period began for the Orthodox Church. In the Nicholas Cathedral, with the blessing of Metropolitan Leonty, large-scale construction began. From 1988 to 1990, a new dome was built to replace the old wooden one. In 1991, the construction of a new altar dedicated to All Saints began, which was consecrated in 1992. In 1991, gilding of the cross and the onion dome of the new dome was carried out. In 1992, restoration work was conducted in the church. The bell tower, which had become too small after renovations, was increased in 1994. Local builders under the guidance of V.M. Konovalov and according to the project of N.A. Bykovskaya added a new tall bell tower, rising 7 meters. In 1995, a water blessing chapel was built on the eastern side of the church grounds. In 1994-1995, all three iconostases were gilded, the dome and three altars were painted, and restoration of the wall paintings was carried out. In 1997-1998, a church administrative building was constructed, housing a refectory, diocesan printing house, Sunday school, accounting office, library, and a hotel for clergy and ministers. In 2007, a new baptismal church was put into operation. In 2009, a new church shop was built on the cathedral grounds.