The Turinsk Protection Women's Monastery was founded in 1604 shortly after the establishment of the Turinsk fortress. In 1621, when an eparchy was opened in Siberia, Archbishop Cyprian, on his way to Tobolsk, discovered that the monastery lacked an established order: monks and nuns lived within the same enclosure, without an abbot or abbess, and only one priest conducted services. To restore order, he sent Hieromonk Macarius and two monks to Turinsk. Macarius separated the monks into a new Nikolaevsky Men's Monastery, built in 1624, while the nuns remained at the Protection Monastery. In the 1740s, the Church of the Protection became a parish church, and the women's monastery ceased to exist.

The Nikolaevsky Monastery was originally a men's monastery, built in 1624. The first wooden church was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, with an altar in honor of Zosimas and Savvatiy. The iconostasis was simple, but the carved icon of Saint Nicholas was particularly venerated. In 1775, the construction of a stone church of the Ascension of the Lord with a bell tower began, completed in 1785. Two chapels were added to the church, dedicated to the Mother of God of the Odigitria and Saint Nicholas.

Until 1815, the building of the Turinsk Spiritual Administration was located in the monastery. Since its founding, the monastery has been managed by 22 superiors. In 1820, Zacharias Verkhovsky and Vasily, secretly tonsured as monks, sought a secluded place in Siberia and settled near Kuznetsk. Local residents began to visit them, and soon Verkhovsky appealed to Archbishop Ambrose to transfer one of the men's monasteries for a women's community. Thus, the Turinsk Nikolaevsky Monastery was transformed into a women's monastery.

In 1822, the Holy Synod approved the transformation of the monastery into a women's community. The monastery received the status of a third-class women's monastery. Verkhovsky was appointed as the guardian, and the monastery remained under the administration of the diocesan authorities. In 1823, three staff members were added to the monastery. Elder Vasilisk, who did not wish to live in the monastery, was soon transferred there due to poor health and passed away in 1824.

In 1846, the construction of a stone fence around the monastery began, and in 1847, a school for girls was opened. By 1863, the monastery had a stone church and several wooden buildings. Fires repeatedly destroyed the monastery, particularly in 1805 and 1888.

From 1920 to 1922, the monastery was closed and destroyed. Various institutions were located on its territory. In 1994, the revival of the monastery began, and in 1996, the buildings and territory were returned to it. In 2005, the construction of a new church began, completed in 2006. In 2011, a new sisterhood building was consecrated, and plans are underway for the construction of a new three-altar church.