The construction of the Nicholas Cathedral of the Chernoostrov Monastery began in 1812, but ten years later, cracks were discovered in the foundation, and the cathedral was dismantled to the ground. A new church in the classical style was laid in 1825 and completed in 1843. The main altar was consecrated on August 26, 1843. The height of the church is 47 meters. The exact architect of the cathedral is unknown, but it is believed to be A. L. Vitberg, who designed the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

The Nicholas Cathedral has three altars, arranged one above the other: on the first floor is the altar of All Saints, consecrated in 1876, on the second, the altar of Saint Nicholas, and in the choir, an altar in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, consecrated in 1849. The cathedral is adjoined by a gallery, which has a staircase leading to the lower level of the monastery, where the entrance to the church of All Saints is located. The dome of the church is supported by four columns with Corinthian capitals, and the center of the building forms a spacious rotunda. The construction of the cathedral was financed by participants of the 1812 war.

After the monastery was closed in 1920, the Nicholas Cathedral remained the only functioning church in the area. In 1939, an exhibition of the 1812 museum was opened there, but after the Great Patriotic War, it was moved to a chapel. The premises of the cathedral were successively used for a technical school, a chess club, an art school, and a bakery. Over time, the monastery fell into disrepair, but its buildings have been preserved since the 19th century. In 1991, the restoration of the monastery began, and today the Nicholas Cathedral has been fully reconstructed.