The Znamensky Convent was founded rather recently in 1993 around the pre-existing 17th century Resurrection of Christ Church and the early 19th century Our Lady of the Sign Church.

Resurrection of Christ Church

The Resurrection of Christ Church is one of the prettiest churches in Kostroma and was constructed between 1645 and 1652. The church is built out of bricks and comprises a four-pillar cube building topped with five silver domes. It also has two side-chapels and is surrounded by a closed gallery connected to the convent's elaborately decorated holy gates. In the 1930s the church was closed but reopened after the war in 1946. From 1964 to 1991 the church served as the Eparchial Cathedral of the Kostroma and Galich Eparchy, replacing the Dormition Cathedral which was blown up by the Soviets in the 1930s. It also housed the Our Lady of St Theodore Icon during this period.

Our Lady of the Sign Church

In 1802 the Resurrection of Christ Church was joined by the Our Lady of the Sign Church which served as the ensemble's winter church, meaning that it was heated. Attached to the church is a four-tier bell tower. The church was closed along with the Resurrection of Christ Church in the 1930s and subsequently used as a storeroom. It was only returned to the Orthodox Church in 1993 when it became part of the Znamensky Convent.