The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, capable of accommodating a thousand people, was built in record time. In September 2010, during his first visit to the island diocese, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia blessed the construction of a new cathedral for the South Sakhalin and Kuril Diocese in Victory Square. Construction began in 2012 and was completed in 2016. Services started in the lower church in 2013. The Great Consecration of the Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of Christ in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church were led by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on September 4, 2016.

The architecture and painting of the cathedral reflect the idea of transferring centuries-old traditions from the spiritual center of Russia, such as the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, to the Far East. The height of the cathedral is 77 meters, and it is built in the traditions of Novgorod churches. Above the main entrance are clock chimes with a diameter of over 4 meters, with bell ringing, reminiscent of the tower clock on the Spasskaya Tower in Moscow. During daylight hours, they strike every hour, and a small chime sounds every 15 minutes. The main bell weighs 6700 kg, while the smallest one weighs 18 kg.

Simultaneously with the construction of the walls, icons and mosaics were created. To ensure the unity and canonicity of the iconography, an artistic council was established, chaired by Archimandrite Luka (Golovkov), the head of the Icon Painting School of the Moscow Theological Academy. The council carefully selected masters for the painting of the cathedral and the images themselves, which is why the church impresses with its beauty and stylistic unity. The main five-tiered iconostasis includes 98 icons. The main entrance, altar, and stylobate are adorned with mosaics covering a total area of 175 m². The cathedral also features over 200 m² of stained glass. The main lighting is provided by a two-tiered dome-shaped chandelier. In the center of the church is a 10-meter Florentine mosaic depicting the Bethlehem star, which is particularly well visible from the fourth floor of the galleries surrounding the church.