A planned ramp was to be installed to provide access to the church, however, was later changed to a wooden staircase due to the steepness of the hill. The wooden ramp was later (in 1844) changed to a cast iron one.

The Russian Empress Elizabeth (1709-1762) decided to construct a summer residence for herself, consisting of a palace and a church; she spent exorbitant sums of money on the grandiose baroque projects of her favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Although the exterior work was finished in 1754, interior work and decorations were not finished until 1767. There is a baroque three-tier iconostasis designed by Rastrelli.