In the city of Oryol, there was no suitable cathedral, which prompted Bishop Smaragd to consider the construction of a new, larger church at the episcopal residence. The Borisoglebsky Cathedral was too small and inconvenient, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was under constant repair, and the Assumption Cathedral at the Archiepiscopal House could not accommodate all those wishing to attend the archiepiscopal services. However, after the bishop was transferred to the Ryazan Diocese in 1858, the plans were never realized.

Under Bishop Polycarp (Radkevich) (1858-1867), on June 5, 1860, the construction of a five-domed brick cathedral in honor of the Holy Trinity began, which was consecrated by Bishop Juvenaly (Karyukov) (1876-1882) on June 29, 1879. The construction cost 200,000 rubles.

The cathedral was built on the grounds of the Upper Garden of the Archiepiscopal House according to the design of architect N. Efimov. In 1865, architect Maevsky, who arrived to inspect the collapsed Pokrovskaya Church, prohibited the construction of the cathedral's dome vaults. At the bishop's request, a design for wooden domes was proposed, which were to be plastered on the inside and covered with iron on the outside.

In the 1930s, the Bolsheviks destroyed the Trinity Cathedral. Today, only the cellars beneath the altar apses remain.