The Epiphany Cathedral in Yeniseisk is a significant object for researchers of Siberian stone architecture of the 18th century. Despite numerous publications, its construction history remains largely unclear. Literature suggests that the stone cathedral was built twice: first from 1709 to 1712, and then after the fire in 1732. Researchers believe that the preserved ruins belong to the second cathedral, and the question of the original appearance of the cathedral from 1709 to 1712 has not been previously raised.

This situation is related to the fact that the authors of publications relied on documents from the 19th century without correlating them with sources from the 18th century, graphic representations, and results of field studies. However, a comprehensive analysis of these sources allows for a clarification of the construction periodization and a better understanding of its original forms.

The cathedral was laid in 1709 on the banks of the Yenisei, within the fortifications of the "small ostrog." The construction was financed by parishioners and nobles Semyon and Epifan Nadein, and the work was led by Moscow apprentice Fedot Merkuryevich Chayka. The building was completed in 1712.

Documents from the first quarter of the 18th century mention this building. Materials from Miller's expedition of 1734-1735 refute the legend of its destruction in the fire of 1732 and provide insight into its architecture thanks to a 1770 engraving by E.A. Fedoseev.

The cathedral belonged to the type of Russian refectory church, widespread in early 18th century Siberia. It had individual features despite general typological connections with other constructions in the Urals and Siberia. The architectural type "octagon on square" was combined with a wide refectory, which included the northern side chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. This traces back to the pillarless churches of Moscow in the 17th century.

Unlike five-domed compositions, the cathedral was topped with a single dome, which was characteristic of Siberian architecture in the first half of the 18th century. Ukrainian features in its architecture can be explained by the influence of Ukrainian church hierarchs in Siberia.

The baroque form of the octagon's roof was possibly borrowed from the Trinity Cathedral in Tyumen. A recently discovered drawing of the cathedral in the Tobolsk archive helps study its architectural composition.

The shape of the drums of the cathedral's domes, with motifs of European baroque, and the completion of the bell tower with a high spire testify to the penetration of baroque motifs into the architecture of Yeniseisk. This strengthened the cathedral's role in the hierarchy of the city's churches.

The cathedral existed in this form until the 1930s, when its temple part and the topping of the bell tower were dismantled. To this day, the refectory with side chapels and the bell tower with 19th-century tents have been preserved. The study of brickwork confirms changes in the architectural appearance, recorded in iconographic sources.

Thus, a comprehensive study of sources and field research allows us to conclude that the Epiphany Cathedral has retained part of its original forms, dating back to the first construction period of 1709-1712. This expands our knowledge of the early stage of Siberian stone architecture and the characteristics of the "Yenisei school."