The Krestovozdvizhensky Women's Monastery is located in the southwestern part of the city, not far from the Arzamas highway. Although the monastery has been here since the early 19th century, its history dates back to the 14th century. The monastery originated from three local women's convents: the Zachatyevskaya, Voskresenskaya, and Proiskhozhdensky.

Since its founding, the monastery has had a church dedicated to the Origin of the Honorable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. After a fire in 1715, it was restored and renamed Krestovozdvizhenskaya, which also gave a new name to the monastery itself.

Over time, the monastery expanded, but due to limited space and a severe fire in 1809 that damaged the church, the abbess Dorofeya Novikova, with permission from the authorities, decided to relocate the monastery to a new site. Thanks to her efforts and diligence, funds for the relocation were found, and between 1813 and 1815, the monastery was built at its current location.

Today, the Krestovozdvizhensky Monastery houses several churches. The cathedral, built between 1814 and 1823, has a cross-shaped form and five large domes. Its interior was renovated between 1845 and 1847, and in 1894, merchant M. Rukavishnikov renovated it again. The church has three altars: the main one is dedicated to the Elevation of the Cross of the Lord, the southern one to the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, and the northern one to the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, Saint Innocent of Irkutsk, and Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica. Special attention is drawn to the local Iveron icon of the Mother of God in a rich vestment and the icon of the Elevation of the Cross with a silver-gilded cross containing particles of the Life-Giving Tree, the Lord's vestments, and the relics of saints. Under the altar of the cathedral, a church in honor of the Iveron icon of the Mother of God is arranged in the crypt, where the remains of former abbesses of the monastery rest. The hospital church is dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God 'Joy of All Who Sorrow' and Saint Basil the Blessed. It is located in the monastery building to the northeast of the cathedral, was established in 1814, and renovated in 1833. The Kazan cemetery church, built in 1798 by merchant Y. Steshev, was assigned to the monastery in 1816. It has three altars: the main one in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, the right one to Saint James the Just, and the left one to the Shuya icon of the Mother of God. The church houses ancient icons of the Mother of God, such as the Vladimir, Shuya, and Tolga icons, adorned with pearls and stones.

The monastery's sacristy holds many ancient items of church utensils.