The monastery was founded in the mid-17th century by schemamonk Mephodiy, with his associate Hilarion as the first builder, who later became the Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev. The five-domed cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God began construction in 1680 and was consecrated on September 30 of the following year by Metropolitan Simon of Smolensk in the presence of Tsar Fyodor Alexeyevich. At the turn of the 18th century, the abbot's residence was built, which has survived to this day. Until the monastery's closure in 1923, it housed particularly revered icons of the Mother of God, such as the Vladimir icon, painted by Ivan Chirinin in 1464, the Assumption icon, a copy of the Kyiv-Pechersk one, the Constantinople icon from the time of Hilarion, the Odigitria, the Three-Handed, a gift from Patriarch Nikon, and a copy of the Kikkos icon. The cathedral contained icons painted by the famous royal icon painter of the 17th century, Simon Ushakov, such as the Assumption, the Almighty, and the Cyprus icon. The sacristy was replenished with gifts from Tsar Fyodor Alexeyevich and his boyars. The library housed valuable manuscripts, old printed books, and documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. The monastery had a hospital for the brethren and a guesthouse, and it was connected to the Znamensky Krasnogrivsky Monastery in Gorokhovets, founded in 1670. In the 18th century, Prince Boris Alexeyevich Golitsyn found refuge here, taking monastic vows under the name Bogolep. The monastery was closed on April 1, 1923, and partially destroyed. Until 1995, a timber processing plant of the Ministry of Defense was located near the monastery.

In 2005, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed the transformation of the parish of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the village of Frolishi, Volodarsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region, into the Holy Assumption Men's Monastery of Florishev Desert.

On August 23, 2006, the first divine liturgy in the archpastoral rank was held in the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. On May 31, 2007, Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas consecrated the church in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. Currently, the gate church of Peter and Paul, the warm church of the Life-Giving Trinity with the brethren's refectory cell, a 49-meter bell tower with new bells and a clock, and the abbot's and treasurer's buildings have been restored. The five-domed cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is being restored: new domes have been installed, the facade and roof have been repaired, and restoration of the interior decoration and the dilapidated building is underway. All other monastery buildings are covered with roofs and cleared of debris in anticipation of restoration.

In the summer of 2008, a study of the foundation of the Assumption Cathedral showed that it is in good condition. The foundation was reinforced, walls, vaults, and internal partitions were repaired, a roof was constructed, the floor was insulated, and windows were installed.

On July 12, 2009, Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas conducted a divine liturgy in the Church of the Holy Trinity. Processions around the desert take place on June 29 and August 15.

In August 2009, artists from the workshop 'Tradition' at the Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky completed the painting of the altar of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, using Byzantine samples from the 12th century.

On December 14, 2012, Bishop Varna of Vyksa and Pavlovsky performed the Great Consecration of the gate church in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and St. Ephrem the Syrian. In 2019, a monastery dependency was opened in the village of Nucha in the Ardatov District.