The Old Believer Rogozhskaya settlement has gone through many trials: before the revolution, it was under close scrutiny from the authorities and the official church, and after the revolution, it faced the anti-religious policies of the Soviet state. However, it managed to endure. At its center, the majestic Cathedral of the Protection of the Holy Virgin has stood for over 220 years, originally envisioned in a different form and for special purposes.

The settlement, formed around the Rogozhskoye cemetery, traces its history back to 1771. During the plague epidemic in Moscow, Count G.G. Orlov granted the Old Believers permission to create their cemetery with an Old Believer chapel behind the Rogozhskaya barrier, near the Vladimir road, to combat the spread of the disease. The name of the settlement is linked to the direction of the Nizhny Novgorod tract towards the village of Rogozh, now the town of Noginsk in the Moscow region. After the epidemic ended, the Old Believers remained at this site, established a settlement with the permission of Catherine II, and began constructing a charitable institution with two churches: a summer one in honor of the Protection of the Virgin and a winter one in honor of the Nativity of Christ.

The Rogozhskaya settlement became the main center for Moscow's Old Believer Popovtsy, who had their own priestly hierarchy. The new cathedral was conceived as a rival to the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral: the Protection Church was planned to have five domes, resembling the cathedral in the Kremlin but larger. Thus, the Old Believers proclaimed their supremacy and rivalry with the official church. However, the authorities learned of this and intervened: under pressure, the Old Believers altered the design, making the cathedral single-domed, abandoning altar apses, and reducing its length. The final project, developed by architect M.F. Kazakov, represented a vast church in the classicist style. Inside, there were four-tiered iconostases with columns, consisting of ancient icons donated by wealthy community members. Also old were the altar Gospel, liturgical books, and church utensils. The church had two chapels: the northern one in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the southern one in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In 1856, during a period of intensified persecution of Old Believers, the altars of the churches at the Rogozhskoye cemetery were sealed and used as chapels for 49 years. The situation changed in 1905 when religious tolerance was declared, and Old Believers were allowed to openly profess their faith and build churches. The altars were unsealed, and since then, services in the Protection Cathedral have not been interrupted. In the 1920s, the Soviet authorities attempted to close the church, but it remained operational. By the mid-1930s, almost all Old Believer churches in Moscow were closed, but the Protection Cathedral continued to function.

Since 2007, the restoration and construction consortium 'Vozrozhdenie' has begun restoring the church. Brickwork of the openings and porches was restored, the white stone base was renovated, facade elements and the gilded cross on the rotunda were restored. Monumental painting covering about 4000 sq. m. was also restored. The restoration work was completed in March 2012.

In 2012, the site became a laureate of the Moscow Government competition for the best project in the field of preservation and popularization of cultural heritage sites.