In the Red Square of Pereslavl, against the backdrop of ancient city ramparts, a small single-domed church has stood for over 850 years. The 12th-century Transfiguration Cathedral is the earliest surviving architectural monument of the Vladimir-Suzdal school. The church belongs to the cross-domed four-pillar type of Byzantine tradition, its architecture is simple and corresponds to the spirit of its time. From ancient times to the present day, the cathedral remains one of the key elements of Pereslavl-Zalessky.

This monument is a single-domed cross-domed four-pillar three-apse church, which is the earliest white-stone architectural monument of Northeast Russia. The walls of the cathedral are made of hewn white stone blocks in a half-rubble technique, with a thickness of 1 meter 30 centimeters.

The chronicle of the church, inscribed on a marble plaque in the southwest corner of the cathedral, reports that it was plundered six times: in 1238, 1252, 1281, 1293, 1382, and 1409. It is likely that after these events the cathedral was repaired. The first significant repair was carried out around 1403, and the next around 1626, as evidenced by the antimanuscript issued that year.

In 1862, during restoration, the ancient roof covering was restored. The most significant restoration work took place from 1891 to 1894, when the western annex was dismantled, the level of the surrounding territory and floors in the cathedral was lowered. At that time, frescoes from the second half of the 12th century, such as "The Last Judgment" and "The Mother of God on the Throne," were removed. The frescoes were taken off in small pieces, packed into boxes, and placed in a museum. In 1895, the Archaeological Commission deemed them unworthy of further preservation. The surviving fragment of the paintings, depicting the apostle Simon, is now in the Historical Museum of Moscow. In the late 1930s, during excavations in the church, majolica tiles of various colors and more ornate tiles with blue patterns were discovered.

In 2005, the cathedral's vaults were insulated, facades updated, the dome painted, and metal doors restored. Inside the church are a marble iconostasis and a metal spiral staircase leading to the choir.

During the restoration in 2014-2015, after cleaning the facades, carved graffiti were discovered on the southern and eastern walls, most of which are concentrated in the central part of the altar apses. After clearing the door portals, an engraving depicting a unicorn, a lion, and two birds intertwined with floral ornamentation was revealed. On the western facade, a profiled white stone element was uncovered behind the facing blocks. Inside the restoration structure of the dome, earlier constructions, presumably from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, as well as a wooden gate used in earlier repairs, were found.

Work was carried out to preserve the cultural heritage site, including cleaning the facades, reworking the masonry, partial restoration of the white stone masonry, and strengthening the joints. Restoration of metal products, doors, window grilles, and wooden structures of the dome was also conducted. The marble iconostasis, metal staircase, and door blocks were restored, and single glazing was replaced with double-glazed units.