The Spassky Old Fair Cathedral, built in the style of late classicism, is located in Nizhny Novgorod on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair. From April 1989 to September 12, 2009, it served as the cathedral of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.

In 1816, the Makaryev Fair was moved to Nizhny Novgorod. That same year, the construction of the main fair buildings began on the left bank of the Oka River. The fair project was developed by A. Betancourt, and for the construction of the cathedral, he invited architect Auguste Montferrand, known for creating St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The cathedral was completed in 1822.

Since the fair operated only one month a year, the church and its clergy were attached to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in the Kremlin for economic reasons, from where icons and church utensils were brought. Thus, the church became known as Spassky, although this is not related to any of its altars.

The iconostasis of the cathedral was painted by the Italian Torricelli according to European standards, which caused dissatisfaction among many merchants who refused to pray before images with naked body parts. Some brought their icons from home. Eventually, architect V. P. Stasov created a new iconostasis. The cathedral became known as the Old Fair Cathedral after the construction of the new Alexander Nevsky Church.

The cathedral was built behind the main fair house on the main axis of the fair plan. Over time, due to groundwater and floods, the building began to settle, and cracks appeared in the walls. In the late 19th century, a major restoration was carried out according to the project of architect R. Ya. Kilevein under the supervision of P. S. Boytsov.

After the restoration, the church was re-consecrated on July 31, 1888. In 1899, there was a threat of destruction of the bell tower next to the church. A new bell tower in the old style was built in 1906 by architects P. P. Malinovsky and E. M. Michurin. After the revolution, the cathedral was used as a warehouse, and the administrative building housed apartments. In April 1989, the cathedral was transferred to the Gorky diocesan administration for restoration and use as a cathedral. Restoration work began immediately, and services were held in the church on Saturdays and Sundays.

Next to the altar dedicated to St. Macarius of Yellow Water, Metropolitan Nikolai Kutepov of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas is buried. In 2002, a chapel-tomb was built over his grave.

On September 11, 2009, Patriarch Kirill of All Russia participated in the unveiling of a monument to the Nizhny Novgorod residents who took part in the cleanup of the Chernobyl disaster. The monument is a two-meter figure of an angel on a three-meter pedestal, surrounded by granite slabs with quotes from Scripture and the names of the deceased. The monument is located on the alley in front of the cathedral, at the site of the cornerstone consecrated more than 10 years ago by Metropolitan Nikolai Kutepov. The Nizhny Novgorod diocese took on the production of the monument, which was installed on September 5, 2009.