The church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Astrakhan appeared in the early 17th century. In 1614, Prince Ivan Nikitich Odoevsky was sent to free the city from robbers led by Ataman Zarutsky, bringing with him a copy of the miraculous icon. Zarutsky left the city before the arrival of the voivode, and a stone church in honor of the icon was built over the eastern gates of the kremlin. The gates and the tower under the church became known as the Prechisten Gates. In 1709, a stone bell tower was erected over the gates, and the church was abolished, with the icon transferred to the Assumption Cathedral.

In 1707, across the Kutum River, in the new settlement of Posad, the Kazan Soldier's Regiment was stationed. Merchants and other residents began to settle here, who were registered with the Smolensk Church on the other side of the river. Due to difficulties in attending church, especially in adverse weather conditions, the residents appealed to Bishop Ilarion for permission to build their own church in honor of the Kazan Icon. In 1753, fundraising began, and after 16 years the church was built, with a bell tower added three years later. In 1797, the wooden chapel was dismantled due to decay, and in 1807, merchant Makarii Abezyanin added a new chapel in honor of the Holy Martyr Haralampius. In 1811, with funds from merchant Ivan Multanov, a left chapel was built in honor of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom.

In 1923, the Kazan Cathedral was seized by Renovationists, and in 1930, the Soviet authorities took it from them. The bell tower and some parts of the church were demolished, and it became a single-domed structure. The church was used as a warehouse, and later as a shoe warehouse. In 1955, the building was transferred to the regional Council of Trade Unions. For a long time, the lone dome of the cathedral peeked out from behind the port warehouses.

On June 15, 1991, the church was returned to the Orthodox Church, and restoration began. The exterior was updated, the dome and roof were covered with new iron, windows were installed, the entrance gates were restored, and a new iconostasis was set up. Work on the painting of the church began. From 2006 to 2008, the bell tower was restored to its former appearance. Restoration work on the Holy Kazan Cathedral continues to this day.