The Vladimir Cathedral in Sevastopol is one of the main shrines of the city. In the Orthodox world, there are not many churches dedicated to the holy equal-to-the-apostles Prince Vladimir, and in Sevastopol, there are two: one on Central Hill and the other in Chersonesus. This is due to differing opinions on where the memorial church for the Baptism of Rus should be located, either at the site of the prince's baptism or in the city center, where there are more parishioners.

Admiral M.P. Lazarev supported the idea of building in the city center, as Sevastopol was growing rapidly and there was a shortage of churches. In 1836, he convinced the tsar to erect the Vladimir Cathedral on the summit of the reconstructed Ridge of Lawlessness.

In 1843, the emperor personally designated this site and commissioned his court architect K.A. Ton to develop the cathedral's design. Ton, a proponent of the Russian-Byzantine style, proposed a five-domed church resembling a smaller version of the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

In 1851, a crypt was created at the future cathedral's site, where M.P. Lazarev was buried. On July 15, 1854, the construction of the cathedral began, but only the foundation was completed before the onset of hostilities. During the defense, Lazarev's fallen students were buried in his crypt: Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov, Rear Admiral V.I. Istomin, and Admiral P.S. Nakhimov. Thus, the cathedral transformed from a memorial church into a mausoleum, a pantheon of military glory.