In 1864, the daughter of Major General E. A. Kopyev founded a women's community in her estate in memory of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Five years later, the community was transformed into a monastery.

The monastery housed the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "The Sign," created in 1879 by the resident Claudia Voiloshnikova. The icon became famous due to the miraculous radiance of the Mother of God's face and the movement of Her eyes on May 14, 1885, as well as the healings that occurred through prayers before it.

In 1925, the monastery was closed.

By 2009, one of the buildings housed a skete with a dome and cross. Other buildings contain a boarding house for the mentally ill, and the administration of the boarding house is located in the building with the bell tower. The school, which was previously located in the former pilgrim hotel, was closed in 2010.

On January 30, 2010, a Divine Liturgy was held for the first time after the closure of the Serafimo-Ponetaevsky monastery in the Ponetaevsky skete with the archbishop's rank.

On September 25, Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas conducted the rite of the Great Consecration of the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow."