The cathedral was built on the site of a burned wooden church. The construction of the stone cathedral began in 1731, and the warm churches were consecrated in 1750. The last to be built was the southern Ilyinsky chapel in 1808. In the late 18th-19th centuries, western extensions and tents appeared. After the monastery was closed in the 1930s, the cathedral served as a warehouse for a long time. The Spassky Cathedral of the Spaso-Transfiguration Male Monastery in Yeniseisk is a typical example of cult architecture in Siberia from the mid-18th century, preserving archaic features of 17th-century Russian architecture and forms of 'Ural Baroque,' which were uniquely mastered by local craftsmen. It is one of the early structures from the time of the formation of the Yenisei school.

The cathedral is located in the center of the eastern part of the monastery territory and serves as the main building and compositional center of the ensemble. The monastery ensemble includes the Spassky Cathedral, the gate church, the cell building, and the fence. The Spassky Cathedral has a longitudinal three-part structure with a deep semicircular apse, a wide refectory, and a three-tiered bell tower, all aligned on one axis.

The refectory is flanked by two elevated chapels. The extreme southern chapel and the western tents, which disrupt the axial symmetry, were built later. The temple, executed in the 'octagon on a square' style, is topped with an eight-pitched dome with a high lantern and has one cupola. The diagonal walls of the octagon rest on squinches, and the two-light chapels are covered with vaulted ceilings.

The two-column refectory is covered with barrel vaults. The central part of the cathedral features large details of various forms that appear somewhat rough. The side chapels are decorated much more modestly. The octagon and the main altar apse are completed with profiled cornices on large cubic consoles, characteristic of the Ural and Siberian schools. The same cornice is found under the tier of the bell tower. The square of the temple is topped with an arcature belt and cornice. The ribs of the bell tower and octagon are emphasized by narrow broken pilasters.

Wide troughs with rhythmic divisions and deep horizontal rows decorate part of the main volumes. The lantern of the temple is adorned with semi-columns along the ribs, while the blind drum of the bell tower features narrow volutes. The bell tower is topped with a high spire. The arched windows of the temple and altar are framed with finely profiled scrolls and pediments on thin semi-columns. Above the windows of the octagon, there are frames with opposing scrolls.

The rectangular windows of the chapels are framed with simple ribbon-like casings. The western portal is somewhat overloaded with decor: semi-columns, capitals, volutes, and friezes are adorned with small triangles and teeth, as are the elements of the temple's casings. The steps of the perspective arches are decorated with various sets of balusters and beads. The interior of the cathedral is strict and somewhat austere. There is a striking contrast between the cold space of the temple and the rather low warm chapels.

The vaults are reinforced with steel ties. Most of the surfaces of the walls and vaults are exposed to brick, but in the altar and on the vault of the octagon, some late oil paintings from the early 20th century have been preserved. The foundation is rubble, and the walls and vaults are made of brick. Bricks of various sizes are found in the vaults and walls of the bell tower, where the staircase is located, with some bricks measuring up to 32 x 17 x 9 cm. The length of the cathedral along the central axis is 37 m, the height of the temple to the drum is 16 m, and the height of the bell tower to the spire is 24 m. The area is 750 m², and the volume is 4400 m³.

In the interiors of the building, except for fragments of oil paintings in the altar of the cold temple, elements of the former decoration have not been preserved.

The monument has not been rebuilt. After the fire of 1869, repair work was carried out to restore the benches and roofs.

In 1976-1978, the 'Special Project Restoration' institute in Moscow completed a restoration project. Restoration work is currently ongoing.

The main building of the Spaso-Transfiguration Monastery ensemble is located at its center. Thanks to its good preservation and location on a high point of the terrain, the cathedral maintains its role as the main central dominant of the urban panorama of Yeniseisk. It is one of the first stone structures in Eastern Siberia and the main building of the only surviving monastery complex in the Krasnoyarsk region. This 18th-century architectural monument represents the Siberian branch of Russian Baroque.