The Ioanno-Predtechensky Convent was founded in the late 15th century. The convent later was said to be associated with the Klyst sect and two of its founders were buried there until their bodies were removed by the authorities and disposed of in 1739. The convent was also used to imprison several notable ladies. The most famous of these are Daria Saltykova, a noble woman who tortured and killed over 100 of her serfs, and the nun Dosifeya, who died in 1810 and was rumoured to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth who was known as Princess Tarakanova. In 1812 the convent was completely burned to the ground during the great fire of Napoleon's invasion. Only several decades later was the convent re-established.

The convent's main cathedral - the Beheading of St John the Baptist Cathedral - was completed in the classical style in 1879. In the same year St Elizabeth's Church comprising a hospital corpus was completed. The main entrance to the convent features two bell towers and a small chapel also dedicated to St John the Baptist. The convent was closed after the Revolution and only reopened in 2002.

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