The Shamordino monastery was founded in 1884 by the Venerable Ambrose of Optina according to the will of his spiritual daughter, nun Ambrosia (Klyuchareva, 1818-1881), and with her funds. Even during her lifetime, she cared for elderly widows and orphans who wished to dedicate themselves to the service of God, and bequeathed the creation of a women's community in her estate in Shamordino.

An invaluable assistant to Venerable Ambrose in establishing the monastery was his spiritual daughter, schema-nun Sophia (Bolotova, 1845-1888). On the day of the monastery's opening, October 1, 1884, Mother Sophia was appointed its first abbess, and the monastery was named Kazan in honor of the revered Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. In 1987, it was glorified in the Council of Tula Saints.

The entire life of the Shamordino monastery was conducted under the guidance of the elder: the liturgical rules, monastic orders, and construction matters were arranged with the blessing of Venerable Ambrose.

After Mother Sophia, the abbesses were schema-nuns Euphrasia (Rozova, 1830-1904), Catherine (Sambikina, 1842-1911), and Valentina (Rozantseva, 1864-1919), who were also spiritual children of Elder Ambrose and his disciples. By the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery had become a major spiritual center, housing about 800 sisters. With the support of Moscow merchant Sergey Vasilyevich Perlov, all the buildings that have survived to this day were constructed: the Kazan Cathedral, a charitable institution with a church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Relieve My Sorrows," and a water pump. Various workshops were also established.

During the years of persecution against Orthodoxy, the Shamordino monastery suffered the fate of many Russian monasteries. In 1923, the monastery was closed, and the sisters were forced to relocate to Kozelsk and nearby villages, many of them perished in prisons and exiles.

Later, the lands of the monastery passed into the ownership of a collective farm, and the former monastery buildings housed a home for the disabled, an orphanage, and a school. However, without God's blessing, the estate fell into decline, and all that had been created through the sisters' labor was destroyed.

Since March 1990, monastic life has resumed in the Shamordino monastery. The abbess became Igumen Nikon (Peretyagina, 1941-2012) from the Riga monastery. Services began anew, and monastic life started to be restored. In the same year, on May 27, the church at the charitable institution in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Relieve My Sorrows" was consecrated, marking the day of the monastery's revival.

In 1996, on the site of the cell where Venerable Ambrose departed to the Lord, the first church in Russia in honor of the great elder was built, consecrated on July 28 by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. This church became one of the main ones in the monastery, where daily services are held.

The preserved cell of Father Ambrose is now located next to the church, not far from its historical place.

On August 13, 2005, after the completion of restoration work, the Kazan Cathedral, the main church of the monastery, was consecrated. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and the archbishops consecrated the central and two side altars.

Today, the monastery conducts a full cycle of services, reads the Unceasing Psalter, and offers akathists before the revered icons of the Mother of God and Venerable Ambrose of Optina. The monastery's charitable institution and hospital have reopened, and a Sunday school has been organized for children from nearby villages. The monastery has its own farm: a dairy farm, gardens, fields, and an apiary, and fully provides itself with products. In Shamordino, more than one hundred thirty sisters serve, who are fully supported by the monastery.