The Smolensk Cathedral was built on this site under unusual circumstances. In the early 18th century, the eastern gate of the Belgorod fortress was located here, adorned with the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, as was customary at that time. In October 1703, the watchman Mephodiy Ivanov noticed that fire was emanating from the icon, which lit a candle before him.

In memory of the miracle, a chapel was soon built, and two years later it was replaced by a wooden Smolensk church. In 1727, the construction of a stone two-story temple began here, which was fully consecrated in 1763. It was a baroque building with the traditional baroque main volume in the form of an "octagon on a square". The temple had a massive, elongated two-story main volume, to which an oval two-story apse was attached. To the west, a small two-story refectory and a four-tiered bell tower were added to the temple. This composition is characteristic of church architecture in Sloboda Ukraine at the end of the 17th century, although original features were incorporated into the Belgorod monument.

In the 19th century, the temple underwent reconstructions. Drawings from the mid-19th century and photographs from the early 20th century show a later architectural variant of the church, which concealed the original forms and decor. In 1859, the temple was significantly rebuilt due to the dilapidated stairs leading to the main building. Instead, a new stairwell was added from the west, and the facade of the building was changed to a more restrained style, hiding the traces of the original decor under plaster.

In 1862, the most significant reconstruction of the Smolensk church took place according to an approved project. An extension was built on the west side with a ceiling over the stairs to the second floor. The light octagon, resting on a vault with supporting arches, took on the form of a rotunda, and sound resonators were installed in the vaults.

In the 1920s, the temple was looted. Although various warehouses were located in it, prayer life continued. However, on June 26, 1936, a decision was made to close many churches in the city, including the Smolensk temple.

The church, which was an ornament of pre-revolutionary Belgorod, was twice on the brink of destruction during the Soviet era. In 1943, as a result of artillery shelling, it lost its bell tower and turned into ruins. Attempts to blow up the temple were made in 1958 and 1974, but it withstood. In 1958, the temple survived an explosion, and in 1974, it was saved by a nearby school, which ended up in an emergency state after the explosion, halting further destruction.

The building was fenced off, and a dump formed behind it. In the 1980s, restoration began with plans to arrange an organ hall there. 763 truckloads of garbage were removed. The last forty truckloads were taken out in June 1996, a month before the consecration. On June 11, the temple was consecrated by Bishop Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. Before that, on Holy Thursday in 1995, the bells rang for the first time on the newly rebuilt bell tower. In 1997, the domes and crosses of the Smolensk church were renewed.