The cathedral of John the Baptist, low and built in baroque style, externally resembled the Astrakhan Church of the Entry into Jerusalem. Its facade was richly decorated with various elements such as towers, arches, and columns. The central part of the church had a square shape, on which rose an octagonal drum with six rectangular windows and two blind ones. On the drum was an elongated lantern dome, covered with a helmet-shaped cupola topped with an apple and a four-pointed cross. The altar had a rectangular shape with three small semicircles. On the western side, a spacious refectory adjoined the central part of the church, covered with a hipped tent roof, and in 1806, a narthex was added to the western part of the refectory. Small narthexes were also located at the northern and southern entrances to the church. Beneath the church was a lower semi-basement floor with various exits and storerooms. The interior space of the church was adorned with paintings depicting sacred scenes. The iconostasis in the church was five-tiered, with carvings and gilding on the poliment, and included 53 icons of academic painting.