In 1882, a church was built in honor of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky for the rapidly growing factory settlements near the Sormovo factory. However, Sormovo continued to expand, and by the end of the 19th century, over 10,000 people were employed at the factory. The small church could no longer accommodate everyone, especially on holidays. On March 29, 1898, the trustees of the church schools of the Sormovo factories decided to begin developing a project for a new temple. The construction of the cathedral, designed by architect Pavel Malinovsky, was approved. On December 17, 1899, a special construction committee was established for the cathedral in Sormovo, led by F. A. Foss, and donations began to be collected among the workers.

On September 8, 1900, the solemn laying of the temple's foundation took place, and in 1905, the main altar was consecrated.

The church was designed for more than two thousand parishioners, and later its capacity was increased. Inside the main church, a six-tiered carved iconostasis was installed, topped with an eight-pointed wrought iron cross, and seven marble steps led to the Royal Doors from the prayer hall. The complex included a clergy house, a baptistery, and several utility buildings.

In 1927, the cathedral was closed, its roof was removed, and church utensils were confiscated. Initially, it was planned to blow it up, but instead, a children's cultural center was opened in the building, and later it housed a warehouse and a refrigerator. Only in 1990 was the church returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and subsequently restored.