Historical Background
In 1851–1853 a single-altar, unheated stone church dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord was built and consecrated on the grounds of the Ascension Monastery. It was designed by I. A. Benzeman, architect of the Syzran appanage office. The church measured 34 by 21 meters (112 by 69 feet) and had five domes on octagonal drums, roofed with tin plate. The main dome bore a gilded cross, the small ones wooden crosses sheathed in iron. The ceiling and walls inside the church and the sanctuary were painted in oils. A bell tower was built next to the church. In 1894 a five-tier iconostasis of joiner's work in linden wood was installed in the church, with icons painted in Moscow.

