The enormous Epiphany Cathedral retains its significance in modern Moscow. Although the monastery as such no longer exists and new buildings have appeared around it, the cathedral still towers in Kitai-Gorod, claiming a central place. Its powerful dome is visible from Zamoskvorechye, and it can even rival St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.

The Epiphany Monastery is considered one of the oldest in Moscow: founded by the first Moscow prince Daniel Alexandrovich in 1296, it is only older than the Danilov Monastery. Initially, all the buildings were wooden, but in 1342, with the funds of boyar Protasiy, the first stone Epiphany Cathedral was built. Subsequent renovations were based on this building: in 1571, after the invasion of the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey, and then in 1624, after the Time of Troubles. Between 1693 and 1695, the existing building was erected on the foundations of the old cathedral, which was later updated, but the structure remained the same.

The Epiphany Cathedral, executed in the Naryshkin Baroque style, is oriented vertically: an octagonal structure is placed on a square base, crowned with an elongated drum topped by an octagonal dome. The facades are richly decorated with white stone carvings, particularly notable are the large window frames with ornate columns and crests. The edges of the octagonal structure are also adorned with crests, while the corners of the square base feature stylized vases. The upper half of the square base is pierced with double windows from the north and south, while the windows of the undercroft are smaller and decorated more modestly, but still in the Naryshkin Baroque style. The refectory and the square base are connected by a wide gallery, which later saw the addition of extra chapels. Above the western entrance, a bell tower with a spire was built. The interior features large sculptural compositions "The Coronation of the Mother of God," "The Nativity," and "The Baptism."

In the lower church, consecrated in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, there used to be an extensive necropolis with tombs of noble families of Russia, such as the Golitsyns, Sheremetevs, Dolgorukovs, Saltykovs, and others. The cathedral suffered greatly in the fire of 1812: iron ties burst from an explosion in the Kremlin, glass and frames flew out, and the cross on the bell tower bent. In the following years, the building was restored.

The Epiphany Monastery was also a center of enlightenment in 17th century Russia. In 1685, scholarly monks from Greece, brothers Sophrony and Ioanniky Likhudy, settled there, founding a school where Greek and other sciences were taught. In 1687, the school moved to the neighboring Zayikonospassky Monastery and became the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, the first higher educational institution in Russia.

In addition to the cathedral, the monastery had two gate churches: the first, in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, was dismantled in 1905 for the construction of a tenement house on Nikolskaya Street; the second, of the Savior Not Made by Hands, was lost in the early 1920s after the monastery was closed.

Worship in the cathedral ceased after the revolution, its furnishings suffered greatly, and it was used as a dormitory, production facilities, and a rehearsal hall. Some tombstones from the lower church and undercroft were transferred to the Don Monastery, which at that time belonged to the Museum of Architecture.

During the Great Patriotic War, the cathedral was nearly destroyed: a German bomber fell nearby, destroying the standing buildings and depriving the cathedral of its dome with the drum. After the war, the area was built up with a massive building in the Stalinist Empire style.

Since 1991, the gradual revival of the Epiphany Cathedral has begun. Monastic life has not been restored, and the cathedral functions as a parish church. In 2007, a monument to the Likhuda brothers was erected in front of the altar of the cathedral on Epiphany Lane.