Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the main buildings Konevsky Monastery. Location chosen for the cathedral in 1421 Reverend Arseny himself. The decision to postpone the cathedral and monastery away from the shore of Lake Ladoga to the new location took after the flood. Cathedral then repeatedly ravaged and rebuilt again. The current building, most likely, this place is the fourth.

Built more Arseny, the first wooden cathedral burned down in 1574, when for the first time the monastery ruined and burned down by Swedes. When in the 16th century, the monks returned to the island again, the cathedral was rebuilt again, already out of stone. In 1610, the second time the Swedes seized the island Konevets. Stone Cathedral razed to the ground and was taken to a building material Kexholm (now Priozersk) to build a Lutheran church and fortifications. During the Great Northern War and the Ladoga Karelian land were returned to Russia.

In 1762, the father of Ignatius, who is responsible for the construction of the monastery, from the Archbishop Dmitri received permission to build a new Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin on the charitable funds. Construction of single-domed stone cathedral was completed in 1766. The cathedral was surrounded by a wooden fence. The temple had three altars: Central - Nativity of the Virgin, the north - the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir and south - three saints: St. John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great.

By the end of the 18th century cathedral decayed. Construction began in May 1800. The project has developed a new temple monk Sylvester. The basis of the project have had in the cathedral of the Diocese of the temple project, sponsored by the architect SG Ivanov. This project has been cleverly redesigned father Sylvester.

The cathedral is in the tradition of ancient architecture and was a two-story church with vosmistolpny protruding altar with three semicircular apses, with the entrance in the west and central cubic volume. The central volume of the building was crowned with five domes, located on octagonal drums. Silhouette of domes, the form of windows, pilasters, cornices arcuate inspired by the Baroque style. Triangular pediment that complete facades, craving decorated teeth were features of classicism. For the year we built a new roof and the first floor, but because of lack of funds failed to complete the construction.

Construction was completed Hieromonk Damascene (translated from Balaam). In 1802, on donated by Emperor Alexander I the money, he added onto the second floor, and finished finishing first. June 12, 1802 was consecrated the lower church of the Presentation of the Lord. The lower church was winter, because it is heated by stoves.

The main chapel until 1940 maintained a gilded carved iconostasis in three tiers. To the left of the king's gate located Konevets icon of the Mother of God, above - "The Last Supper", the second tier - the icon of the holidays, a third - of the Apostles. Petersburg restorers managed to restore the iconostasis completely. In 1830 the temple was consecrated a chapel in honor of the Mother of God Konevets.

The upper church was summer. It was a typical Russian cross-domed church on eight square pillars, it was illuminated by two rows of windows. The iconostasis in the upper church was painted white and has a classic style, it was decorated with gilded carvings. Many of the icons in the church have been written by famous Russian and Ukrainian painter Vladimir Borovikovsky.

In the 1860s, the west side of the cathedral sacristy was added with a turret.

The height of the cathedral, including the cross, is 34 meters, width - 19 m (including porch and porch - 44, 5 m).

Today, the lower house renovated, is regularly performed the service. Upper temple during the Soviet era was badly damaged and now awaits restoration. From its former splendor has survived only a skeleton of the iconostasis. Also, sometimes fragments of murals. Service in the upper church are held once a year, on the feast day of the monastery, in the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on 21 September.

In the church are kept two revered shrines of the monastery: Konevets list with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and the reliquary of the founder of the monastery of St. Arseny.