Many of the active churches in Pereslavl are located on holy sites where monasteries once stood. One such church is the Smolensko-Kornilievskaya Church on Gagarin Street in the western part of the city. Until 1764, there was a men's monastery here known as 'Borisoglebsky on the Sands.' It is believed to have been founded in 1252 after the Tatar invasion of Pereslavl and the burial of the Pereslavl voivode Zhidislava and the Tver princess here. The monastery reached its peak in the 16th century but was devastated by the Poles in the early 17th century, causing significant damage. In 1642, hieromonk Adrian restored the monastery.

The Borisoglebsky Monastery is associated with the name of Saint Korniliy the Silent, in the world known as Konon, who was born in Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky into a merchant family in the second half of the 17th century. Leaving his home, he first lived in the Lukyanov Monastery and then moved to the Borisoglebsky Monastery, where he took a vow of silence. Korniliy died in July 1693, having accepted the schema before his death. Soon, with the funds of Tsarevna Natalia Alexeyevna, the construction of a stone church in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with a chapel of Boris and Gleb began. In 1705, the relics of Korniliy were transferred to the new church.

Until 1744, the Borisoglebsky Monastery was part of the Synodal area and was then assigned to the Pereslavl Diocese. In 1750, it had 48 peasant souls and contributed 1 ruble and 50 kopecks for the maintenance of the seminary in Pereslavl. In 1764, the monastery was abolished, and the church became parish. It had a cemetery where many notable citizens were buried, including City Head Andrei Alexeyevich Temerin.

The Smolensko-Kornilievskaya Church, with its refectory, 'rooms,' cell building, and bell tower, has mostly been preserved. Attention is drawn to the rich cornice of the cells and the horizontally divided pilasters. The composition of the church is typical for the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In the past, the temple had typical decoration, including an iconostasis with carved royal gates depicting the touching of the Risen Savior by Apostle Thomas. In the chapel to the right of the altar was the tomb of the Venerable Korniliy with his prayer beads. The icon of the 7 sleeping youths was also particularly venerated. There were more than 100 regular parishioners. Unlike many other churches closed after 1917, the Smolensko-Kornilievskaya Church remained open almost until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and was then used as a warehouse. In the 1960s, the church's iconostasis suffered from a fire and was partially looted. Until the mid-1970s, people lived in the cells and refectory. In 1988, the church bell tower collapsed.

In 1996, the Kornilievskaya Church and the relics of Saint Korniliy were transferred to the Nikolsky Women's Monastery.