The Cross Exaltation Society of Sisters of Mercy became one of the first such organizations in Russia, created at the beginning of the Crimean War to assist the wounded. The initiator of its creation was Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, the wife of the younger brother of Emperor Nicholas II, known for her philanthropy.

The solemn opening of the society took place on the Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which gave the community its name. On November 6, 1854, the first detachment of 32 sisters of mercy went to the front of the Crimean War. Along with them, a group of doctors led by the outstanding professor Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov, who also headed the community, arrived at the front. This mission surprised the enemy with its selflessness.

During the Crimean War, 163 sisters of mercy served at the front, 17 of whom died while providing assistance to the wounded. Interestingly, most of the volunteers came from well-off families and joined the community not out of need, but from a desire to help people. The feat of the sisters was recognized by the command of the Russian army, and many of them received medals for the defense of Sevastopol, among them Ekaterina Mikhailovna Bakunina and Ekaterina Alexandrovna Khitrova.

In peacetime, the sisters worked in the capital's hospital, and in 1876, they voluntarily went to war in Montenegro, helping the local Slavs. They also participated in the rescue of the wounded during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. World War I became the last for the society. After the revolution, some sisters joined the White Army, continuing their work. Unfortunately, the fate of many of them is unknown: some emigrated, some perished, and some remained in Russia.