Cathedral of St. Nicholas is one of the oldest buildings that reflect the example of religious architecture of the mid-17th century, is a prime example of architecture, formed under the strong influence of the school of architecture of Yaroslavl.

There are written sources that mention that the original St. Nicholas Church was the usual, but at the end of the 17th century it became a cathedral. In mid-1710 the building of the temple struck a terrible fire, and then only in 1756 was built a stone cathedral, whose consecration ceremony held Suzdal and Yuryev Metropolitan Seliverstov.

From the north chapel was built Wonderworker and St. Mitrophan Voronezh, what happened in 1833 thanks to financial support from the merchant Kornilov DV

Until 1867 the building of the cathedral was used as a warm church, because this is the year when the Cathedral was carried out heating, for which reason the need for a cold temple almost entirely disappeared.

Over the years the building was intended to house the regimental church, sacristy and a small library. With the support of wealthy merchants Shuia in the late 19th - early 20th centuries Shuiskys existing temples were radically rebuilt according to the best architectural traditions of that time. It is important to say that the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, which is more like an old Russian log hut, suddenly planned to demolish. The plan involves the construction of a new church, is located on the left side of the main temple.

Today the preserved records Dunayev archpriest - rector of the cathedral, which were made at the end of the 19th century. He wrote that the walls are not lined up a solid masonry, with their mid-strewn Booth then filled using mortar. Cathedral iconostasis relates to a new device, and available in the iconostasis icons almost all numbers is not just Russian, and even Byzantine. One of the most revered icons is the old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and that is on the right side of the king's gate. Today, the cathedral no one miracle-working icon. Wall surfaces are covered with a blue color scheme, while they absolutely no painting, although some sources of the late 19th century paintings tell of not only the walls, but also the altar. If you take into account the vaults, then you can see a number of picturesque marks relating to 1887.

Cathedral of St. Nicholas is a one-headed temple Besstolpny characterized by quite an original song that plays Kletskaya type wooden church with its characteristic design and decorative style of classicism .  The bulk of have a rectangular shape elongated along the axis running from north to south .  If there is a three-part altar of the cathedral, as well as to adjoin the relatively extended refectory room, which is the cathedral a unified architectural space .  Two of the building are covered with a gable roof with the help and the wedding of the main volume is done with the help of a cylindrical drum fitted with a bulbous head .  On all fronts arranged rectangular openings, which are marked with a triangular shape and is especially large pediments, studs on brackets .  The main entrance to the cathedral is located on the south side and is decorated with festive portico, consisting of widely spaced and double in the central part of Corinthian columns .  Along the perimeter of the cathedral in the past there were some burial . 

During the reign of the Soviet government in the building of the temple was the city archives, which lasted quite a long time. Today, St. Nicholas Cathedral is the town church of St. Nicholas Monastery Shartomskogo.