The relics of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky were also placed here in the monastery. In the summer of 1710, a wooden cross was erected on the territory of the Lavra — this date is considered the beginning of the construction of

Two years later, the first wooden buildings appeared here — the Annunciation Church and the Chapel, around which the monastery settlement was built. A year later, the church was consecrated, and Archimandrite Theodosy became its rector.

For convenience, monks built a road from the monastery to the Novgorod tract, which later became part of Nevsky Prospect.

Peter I, in addition to the spiritual monastery, intended to arrange shelters for the disabled and mentally ill here, but they were not opened. In 1720, a printing house was opened at the monastery, and a year later, a school, which later became the Theological Academy. Composer Pyotr Turchaninov and John of Kronstadt studied here. In 1716, the Lazarevskoye cemetery was founded on the territory of the monastery and the Church of St. Lazarus was built.

By the 20th century, 16 churches were located on the territory of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In Soviet times, the complex as an architectural monument was taken under state protection. Valuables were seized from the churches, some of which were transferred to the Hermitage, and in 1933 the church was closed. The Lavra was divided into separate rooms, which housed a museum, workshops and a post office.

In the post-war years, the church was transferred to the Museum of Urban Sculpture. It was only in April 1956 that Holy Trinity Cathedral was returned to the church. The Annunciation Church was restored in 1988, and a year later, the relics of Alexander Nevsky were returned to the Holy Trinity Cathedral.