The Seven Lakes Monastery was founded in 1615 by monk Euphemius, who moved from Veliky Ustyug and brought with him an icon of the Mother of God. This icon, later named the Smolensk-Seven Lakes, became known in 1654 when its intercession was credited with saving Kazan from a plague epidemic. Since then, it has become the second most significant Orthodox shrine in the region after the Kazan icon. In memory of the events of 1654, an annual procession was held from the Seven Lakes Monastery to Kazan on June 25, continuing until 1917. Due to the veneration of the icon, the monastery received generous donations, allowing for the construction of two churches. In 1640, the first stone church, the Ascension Church, was built, and in 1668, the construction of the stone cathedral in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was completed, which became the main church of the monastery. Here, the main shrine of the monastery was placed. Architecturally, the church was cube-shaped, two-storied, single-domed, with three semicircular apses. The lower part was made of white stone, while the main volume and refectory were made of brick. The church was surrounded by an open porch on three sides, accessed by three wide stone staircases. Inside, the church was square, with the central part separated from the refectory by a wall with three openings, and in the center rose a lantern supported by two octagonal pillars. The altar consisted of three parts and was illuminated by three large windows. The altar in honor of the miraculous Smolensk-Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God occupied the central part of the altar. The church was repaired multiple times: in 1710 it was re-consecrated, and in 1738, under the abbess Adam, an altar dedicated to the holy fathers Varlaam and Joasaph of India was made in the southern part of the altar. In the second half of the 18th century, a holy dome with a gilded cross appeared above the church. A three-tiered bell tower with seven bells was located at the church, which was dismantled in 1898 due to its dilapidation. In 1899, heaters were installed in the church.

The revolution caused serious damage to the Seven Lakes Monastery. By the 1930s, only the basement of the magnificent Smolensk Cathedral remained, which had turned into a semblance of a mound. Only in the eastern part could one discern the former altar projections made of massive stones, and in some places, details of 17th-century brick decor were visible. Even from the ruins, one can judge the grandeur of the main church of the Seven Lakes Men's Monastery.