One of the most interesting and rare buildings on the territory of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is the Church of the Descent of the Holy spirit on the apostles. It was built in 1476 the best Pskov craftsmen who were invited by Vasily III to restore the collapsed of the assumption Cathedral in Moscow. The architects refused to rebuild the temple, and were sent to Holy Trinity monastery.

Initially the Holy spirit, the Church called Trinity, because it was built on the site of the former wooden Church of the Holy Trinity. Later the Church was renamed, and in the monastic inventories 1641 it is named to its current name.

The Church is small, but quite high, similar to the watchtower. She really was used as a tower to observe the surroundings. Walls of the monastery nicely served Moscow, protecting it from the North from raids. "Spolocnou" bell spirit Church warned the monks about the danger during the Polish-Lithuanian siege in 1608.

Incidentally, the bell tower of this temple is an extremely rare construction of the architecture of the XV century in Central Russia. Six large squat pillars stand directly above the quadrangle of the Church and hold the drum, completed with large bulbous blue head with a Golden girdle. Such Church called the "Church bells". The bells of Holy spirit Church leads only added wooden stairs. But the bell ringers ancient times there was no need to go upstairs. Standing on the ground, they ropes were swinging poles, on which were fastened the bells. Thus, bells, swinging, hit fixed languages and published his own unique sound.

Externally, the Church is very similar to nearby Holy Trinity Cathedral, but more rich in its external decoration and more elegant. The facade is decorated with pilasters and half-columns, dividing the wall into three parts. The perimeter encircles the upper part of a terracotta relief. Ogee-shaped Gables and arches repeat architecture of Trinity Cathedral. In the temple there is no overhead light, and window facades are too small, so for a long time the Church remained without painting. The first murals appeared here only in 1665 at the behest of Patriarch Nikon. Three-tiered iconostasis rosewood made Lavra masters already in the mid-nineteenth century.

Long hipped roof concealed the belfry, but thanks to modern restoration work, we can again observe such a rare architectural structure in its original form.

Until the mid XX century the Church was surrounded by outbuildings. The South side was a chapel in the name of Righteous Philaret the merciful and North stone chapel built over the tomb of Maxim the Greek, philosopher and writer. These outbuildings were connected by a porch on the West facade of the spirit Church. During the restoration in 1938, the chapel and the chapel was dismantled, and at the same time and summed up the Foundation under the walls and restored the basement.

Here, as in former times, are adherents of the congregation, lead the service. In this little Church of the monastery confessed Ivan the terrible after the death of the son of Prince Ivan in 1583.