From 1799 to 1803, the Duchess of Mecklenburg was Elena Pavlovna, the daughter of Emperor Paul I, who married Duke Friedrich Ludwig. After her untimely death, the duke ordered the construction of a mausoleum in her honor at the country residence of Ludwigslust, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. The building's design was created by the French architect Jean-Jacques Ramée.

The architect designed a concise two-story structure in the Empire style. The first floor housed the tomb of Elena Pavlovna and other members of the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg family, while the second floor featured a church with a single-tier iconostasis crafted by Sergey Bernikov. The images for the iconostasis were painted by court artist Rudolf Zurland. The mausoleum suffered significant damage during World War II, and after restoration in 1967, a Museum of Prehistory was opened in the building. Today, this structure is part of the Ludwigslust palace and park museum complex.