The school was built on the initiative of the abbess of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent. The land was allocated by the monastery, the money was taken from the donations of parishioners, and the project was compiled by the architect free of charge. At first, it was a two-story building in the Byzantine style. It housed a church teacher's school, which was supposed to train teachers for parochial schools.

Konstantin Pobedonostsev, the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, took a great part in the life of the school; his wife was the school's guardian for many years According to his will, both of them were buried near the school temple.

Today it is the city hospital No. 21, but the grave of Pobedonostsev can be seen to this day.