The Church of the Mother of God "the old Russian" is located in the city of Staraya Russa, a part of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery. In mid-1888 in the town of Tikhvin was returned to the miraculous old Russian icon of the Holy Mother of God. For the location of the icons of the temple was built on the Alexandrovskaya street, which now bears the name of Volodarsky street. The new Church became one of the most beautiful and richest in the whole city, if judged by the presence of icons and interior decoration. The construction of the temple was carried out on the funds that were collected from the citizens in order to postpone a famous icon in Staraya Russa.

In the summer of 1898 took place the laying of the temple, and by the end of the year all the stone work was completed. Next summer the Church was completely painted and equipped, driven by the Abbot of the monastery Mardarius. August 31, 1892, the Church of the old Russian icon of the Mother of God was consecrated, and after a few days, and consecrated an altar in the name of Vladimir the Baptist; in the process of consecration was attended by the Holy father John of Kronstadt. From the moment the building of this Cathedral, the ensemble of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery was finally completed.

The building was set far from the mansion buildings, perimeter walls and monastery wall was painted in the style quite late ecletica. From the outside the Cathedral was designed in the form of an oblong quadrangle, equipped with Oriental semicircular altar. In the Central part stood a large octagonal drum and dome which is beautifully crowned with a cupola and a cross. Above the main altar and the porch had a small cupola equipped with crosses and apples. The roof was made using sheet iron, painted verdigris. Church crosses through, iron and gilded gold. The Cathedral dome was located on four pillars, which were connected with the walls of the small arches that distribute the available space nine branches quadrangular form, of which three middle and three Western became places for praying; three of the Eastern division were busy Solea or elevated part. In the South division were St. Vladimir's chapel, walled.

In the temple of old Russian icon of Mother of God there were four entrances, the main one was at the Alexander street. The exterior walls of the Church were decorated with the help of pilasters, pediments, made in the form kokoshnikova of semicircles, small corbels to eaves. In the Cathedral there were 43 of the window opening with semicircular tops, housed in one or several tiers. Paired with the altar and the porch he extended to 26 feet wide and 39 feet in length, while its height was 24 meters.

If to take into account the interior, it is worth noting that the chancel of the Solea consisted of three branches: the North was an altar, in the big and medium – the main altar, and in the South there were the side-altar, consecrated in the name of the Holy right-believing Prince Vladimir. At the entrance to the temple is a wooden carved iconostasis, located under the main altar in the name of the old Russian icon of the Mother of God with some more icons new message. In the middle of the main altar on the plates, made of stone, is a large throne, which are gracefully decorated with silver-gilt massive clothes with neat enamel jewelry, located on the corners; it was about 47 kg of silver. Before the altar on the main altar there were old Russian icon of the mother of God, is made according to an old letter, whose dimensions were: width of 121 cm, height – 150 cm. the frame of the icon is made in a frame, equipped with a gold dumbbell. A prominent place in the Church iconostasis was occupied by the Holy old Russian icon of the mother of God with the pre-eternal Infant in her arms, the crown and the robe was made of gilded silver.

Today the temple is significantly updated and is valid for the parishioners.