The oldest structure in the Suzdal Kremlin is the Nativity Cathedral, built between the 12th and 16th centuries. Originally, there was a wooden church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, erected by the order of the Kiev prince Vladimir at the end of the 10th century.

In 1096, during the war between the Chernigov prince Oleg and the sons of Vladimir Monomakh, Iziaslav and Mstislav, Suzdal suffered greatly, and all buildings in the bend of the Kamenka River were destroyed by fire. In 1222, the son of Vsevolod, George, dismantled the dilapidated upper part of the Nativity Cathedral and rebuilt it using white stone.

The cathedral's facades were adorned with reliefs, female masks, and an ornamental belt, while the southern and western portals were decorated with carvings. In 1233, the interior of the cathedral was updated with frescoes, and the floors were laid with terracotta tiles, which added significance to the cathedral.

In 1229, George Vsevolodovich proposed to use the cathedral for a gathering of princes. In 1445, during an invasion by the Khan of Kazan, the cathedral was damaged by fire, and its vaults collapsed. In 1530, by order of Tsar Vasily III, the cathedral was restored: it was dismantled to the arcature-column belt and rebuilt with brick, finishing with five drums with narrow windows. By the mid-18th century, the heads of the cathedral acquired an onion shape, and the roof was replaced with a four-pitched one. Restoration carried out in the 1950s-70s returned the cathedral to its original forms of the 13th-16th centuries.

In 2012-2013, restoration of the paintings was conducted, and in 2016, current repairs to the heating system. In 2017-2018, emergency works were carried out, including the installation of a hatch on the cathedral's dome and the preservation of monumental painting.