The Vladimir Church was built on Torgovaya Square from 1761 to 1769, presumably according to the project of the architect Christian Knobel or according to the plan of the architect P. A. Trezzini. In the XVIII and XIX centuries, many architects, including Giacomo Quarenghi, cooperated in creating the modern look of the church.

In 1828, Arina Rodionovna (the nurse of A.S. Pushkin) was buried in the Vladimir Church. The parishioner of the church in the last years of his life was F.M. Dostoevsky and a Requiem service for the writer is annually performed here.

In 1932, the Vladimir Church was closed, and the Lenmashuchet factory was located in the building, but in 1989 the church received the status of an operative, and in 2000 the Vladimir Church received the status of a cathedral.

The five-domed church is a monument of transitional style architecture from Baroque to classicism, includes the upper (cold) Vladimir and lower (warm) St. John of Damascus church. Currently, services are held only in the upper church.