The architectural appearance of the cathedral was formed in the first half of the 19th century, when the main construction work was carried out. At that time, Minusinsk was a village. On December 21, 1779, Bishop Varlaam of Tobolsk and Siberia permitted the laying of a wooden church, which was consecrated in 1781. On September 12, 1803, the construction of a new stone church began to replace the wooden one. The author of the project and the chief builder of the church are unknown. The main funds for the construction were provided by Ivan Timofeevich Maslennikov. The name of the person who financed the construction of a stone house next to the temple, intended for a shelter and asylum for the poor and disabled, is also known. This was a local peasant, Fedot Kuzmich Samkov. The construction was completed in 1813, and the consecration of the new church in the name of Christ the Savior with the chapel of the Protection of the Holy Virgin took place on October 11, 1814.

Initially, the Spasskaya church was considered rural, and after the city was opened, it became urban. The silhouette of the church resembled a ship, and its composition was directed upwards. The church was adorned with five domes covered with copper, topped with gilded iron crosses. A green tin roof completed the appearance. The bell tower housed seven bells, the largest of which weighed 912 kg.

In 1853, with the funds of merchant Maslennikov, a chapel in honor of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, was added, which was consecrated on May 7, 1854. The Minusinsk Spasskaya church became a three-altar church. From September 17, 1854, it was renamed Cathedral. In 1855, an eighth bell weighing over two tons was installed. Krasnoyarsk architect V.A. Sokolovsky rebuilt the cathedral in 1902-1904, making it nearly three times larger. Ten crosses were symmetrically arranged relative to the axis of four crosses: above the entrance, above the bell tower, above the main temple, and above the main altar. Each cross was unique in shape and design.

In the early 1930s, services in the Spassky Cathedral ceased. In 1933, the bells were thrown down, church utensils and valuables were confiscated, and the building was used as a grain warehouse.

In 1943, the cathedral was returned its valuables, the Orthodox church community was restored, and services resumed. The Spassky Cathedral became the only functioning church in the city. In 1989, eight bells weighing from 45 to 320 kg were raised to the bell tower of the cathedral.