In the autumn of 1569, a combined army of Turks and Crimean Tatars besieged Astrakhan. The enemy's superiority over the small Astrakhan garrison was so significant that the defenders could only rely on God's help. And a miracle happened: the Turkish army unexpectedly left the camp and retreated in haste. In honor of this victory, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a monastery in Astrakhan in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. However, construction was delayed for various reasons until the new abbot of the Trinity Monastery, Theodosius, took charge. He chose the site for the Spaso-Transfiguration Monastery, and in 1597, the construction of a wooden church began. The new church was consecrated in 1604. The monastery was built in the northern part of the White City and was originally called 'Spassky, that in the fortress.'

Over time, the monastery expanded and developed, becoming quite large. In the second half of the 17th century, it was stavropegial, but by the early 18th century, it was again subordinate to the Astrakhan bishops.

The monastery's prosperity was severely affected by the turmoil that began in the country. First, the monastery's treasury was plundered, then the monastery itself was destroyed, with only the church and part of the cells surviving.

In 1709, a strong fire almost completely destroyed Astrakhan, and the Spaso-Transfiguration Monastery was also affected. Its restoration is associated with Archimandrite Mephodiy Petrov, who headed the monastery in 1731. He immediately began constructing a new stone fence with four towers at the corners.

In the first half of the 19th century, an unsuccessful repair led the monastery into a state of disrepair. There were no funds for major repairs, and in 1873, the monastery was abolished.

The main buildings of the monastery were transferred to the Astrakhan Theological Seminary, with some converted into homes for the elderly.

After 1918, the seminary buildings were nationalized, and command infantry courses were located there. From the early 1920s, a children's home No. 1 was situated on the territory of the former monastery. In 1930, the monastery buildings were demolished. To this day, only the northeast tower of the monastery fence remains, the only remnant of the once-glorious abode.