The cathedral was built on the main square of Cherkassk – Maidan (the previous wooden versions of the cathedral were built much closer to the Don). In the architecture of the Maidan, asymmetry of the layout was consciously applied as one of the means of artistic expression — the traditional approach to the main square architecture, characteristic of the Russian Kremlin of the XVI-XVII centuries. Religious buildings – the cathedral and the bell tower – were located at an angle to the axis of the opening of the exit tower of the Epiphany Gate, which in the best way revealed the volume of buildings and the plasticity of the facades. On the Maidan, in front of the bell tower, elements of the gates and canons of the Azov fortress — the memory of the famous “Azov seat” of the Don Cossacks — are displayed.

The architecture of the temple – the Byzantine-Russian style. The entire cathedral is built of brick, on stone cellars, and covered with iron. Cement was not yet invented at that time, therefore lime was used instead, with eggs added for durability.

On the plan the church is a nine-petal building on a powerful basement basement. Five towers are made in the form of a cross, and four small towers are set diagonally to the central volume.

A simple decoration by semi-columns facilitates the harsh power of the cathedral walls. The onion domes domes of the temple are characteristic of Russian architecture of the XVII century. The Cathedral is crowned with nine crosses covered with gold.

Judging by the many artistic details, the temple was built by Moscow masters, who often used the techniques of the so-called “Ukrainian Baroque”. Unfortunately, the name of the chief architect has not yet been established, but under the assumption of some specialists, it could have been Joseph Dmitrievich Starov.

The cathedral rests on a powerful white stone plinth, in its lower floor there are huge vaulted cellars where wine, various goods and a military archive were kept. Later, the temple was surrounded by a gallery, which connected it with the architecture of the Cossack hut. The decoration of the cathedral is extremely simple and expressive. All the corners of the octahedral towers are decorated with semi-columns that give them a soft outline. The same modest semi-columns and pilasters decorate window frames. Eaves curbs on the flat surface of the walls make a festive note to the decoration of the cathedral.

In front of the western entrance to the cathedral (there are also southern and northern doors) the iron chain of Stepan Razin firmly built into the cathedral wall.