The Annunciation Monastery, the oldest in Nizhny Novgorod, was founded in the early 13th century. It is located in the Nizhny Novgorod district, on the right bank of the Oka River, not far from where it flows into the Volga.

The cell building of the monastery dates back to the 18th century and is situated on the southeast side of the monastery grounds. Its construction was carried out by architect Y. A. Ananyin during the General Land Survey of Nizhny Novgorod and the renovation of the monastery buildings in 1780 and 1786. Some of the rooms in the building were used as cells, while others served as a guesthouse for pilgrims.