The history of the Assumption Monastery begins in 1552 with the construction of a wooden Assumption church, built in one day by the order of the tsar at the site of his encampment. In 1559 or 1560, the flooding of the Kazanka River destroyed this church and all the monastery buildings. After relocating the monastery to Zilant Hill, a new wooden church was also dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The history of the stone Zilant Monastery is linked to the construction of the stone Assumption Cathedral. There is a legend that Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of an exact copy of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra on Zilant Hill, so that the monks would emulate the life of the brethren of the lavra. This was carried out under Mikhail Fyodorovich, and on August 15, 1625, the new stone church was consecrated by Metropolitan Matfei of Kazan. Tsar Mikhail, being God-fearing, became a benefactor of the monastery, donating icons and furnishings to the Assumption Cathedral in 1625. The iconostasis of the cathedral resembled that of the lavra and was described in 1813 as an ancient work, decorated with paints and gilding. The church was first renovated in 1729, and probably at that time a gallery connecting the cathedral with the All Saints Church appeared. In 1835, the church was renovated again and consecrated on August 15 by Archbishop Philaret of Kazan. Its appearance has changed little, unlike the reconstructed All Saints Church. In 1895, a crypt was arranged in the basement of the church in honor of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, built with funds from Olga Sergeyevna Gaines. Burials under the cathedral existed earlier, but in 1895 an underground altar was installed for requiem liturgies. The main shrine of the church and monastery was the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, venerated as miraculous. Among the monastery's relics, in 1909, the icon of the Lord Sabaoth of ancient writing is mentioned. The tomb of Archbishop Joseph of Suzdal, who came to the monastery for repentance in 1640 and died on June 15, 1642, was also among the church's relics. The tomb was located at the entrance to the cathedral, and a lamp burned above it in memory of the saint.

During the Soviet era, the cathedral was destroyed, and almost all its relics were lost, including the burial sites of Saint Joseph and those buried in the chapel of Saint Olga.

Today, on the site of the Assumption Cathedral stands a new Trinity Church, built according to the design of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, while the All Saints Church was consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos after restoration in 2000.