In 1799, at the New City Cemetery in Belgorod, a St. Nicholas cemetery chapel was built with funds from parishioners. In 1867, the altar was expanded and chapels were added. At that time, the church had four altars: the main one dedicated to Saint Nicholas; in the southern chapel, to the holy martyr Charalampos; in the northern chapel, to the holy confessor John of Many Sorrows, the hermit of the Caves; and in the refectory on the southern side, in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist.

In 1962, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Belgorod was closed, and the ancient 13th-century iconostasis from it was transferred to the cemetery church, where it remains to this day. From that time until 1990, the church served as the cathedral of Joasaph of Belgorod.

In 1990, the cathedral was moved to the newly reopened Transfiguration Cathedral, and the Joasaph Cathedral was renamed Nicholas-Joasaph Cathedral. Currently, the cathedral has two altars: the main one in honor of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, and in the southern chapel, in honor of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod.