The first information about the Voskresensky Monastery in Uglich dates back to the 14th century. At that time, all its buildings were wooden and located on the banks of the Volga, not far from the mouth of the Troitsky stream. Now, on this site stands one of the most beautiful churches in Uglich, the Church of John the Baptist. In the mid-17th century, the monastery was moved closer to the ancient trade area of Uglich, to a place called Luzhniki or Luzitsy, where meltwater accumulated. Not long before this, a monk who took the name Jonah was tonsured in the monastery. Later, from 1652 to 1691, he headed the Rostov Metropolis as Metropolitan Jonah Sysoevich. His activities are associated with the stone construction and decoration of the monastery.

The construction of the monastery took place from 1674 to 1678. Its architectural solution is unique for ancient Russian architecture: the churches, refectory, storerooms, massive bell tower, and clock tower were united on one foundation and arranged in the shape of the letter 'P'. This likely embodied Jonah Sysoevich's idea of the unity of civil and ecclesiastical power.

The first stone church built was the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, followed by the Church of the Odihria with a refectory and clock tower, under which large wall clocks were located. The Church of the Odihria was connected to the Church of the Resurrection by an arched passage, above which the Church of Mary of Egypt and the bell tower were erected. The bell tower resembles similar structures in the Borisoglebsky Monastery and the Kremlin of Rostov Veliky, but this is only an external similarity. It represents a synthesis of various buildings: the lower floor housed the entrance and exit gates, two wide staircases led to the gallery, from where a narrow entrance allowed access to the Church of Mary of Egypt. On the fourth tier, on massive wooden beams, the bells were located. The structure was crowned with a small dome, originally covered with green glazed tiles. There were no large bells in the bell tower, and in the early 18th century, their total weight was just over 130 poods, of which 30 were confiscated by Peter I for military needs.

The refectory building with the Church of the Odihria adjoins the bell tower from the south. The refectory is connected by a narrow passage to another bell structure of the monastery. Above it is a small tent-like structure, the clock tower. The entrance to it leads from the vestibule through the attic to the clock chamber, where the clock mechanism was located, connected to the bells. Inside, the walls descend into a shaft for the clock weights, ending with an opening for regulating the clock's movement. Neither the bell nor the mechanism has survived. In the 19th century, the tented top of the clock tower was replaced with a clumsy vault, distorting its appearance. Only during the restoration from 1965 to 1975 was its original appearance returned.