The Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy was founded by Princess Elizaveta Fedorovna. After her husband, Prince Sergei Alexandrovich, died tragically as a result of a terrorist attack on one of the streets of Moscow, the inconsolable widow decided to permanently retire from worldly life and devoted the remaining years to serving God and helping all those in need.

The Grand Duchess decided to do the same as, according to biblical legends, the laborer Martha and the prayer book Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, who was miraculously resurrected by Jesus Christ, did. Elizaveta Fedorovna developed a Charter, according to which its purpose was to help the sick and poor people and comfort those who were in sorrow and sorrow. The actions of Martha and Mary became a prototype of the activities of the future Monastery.

The Holy Monastery was created for two years. Elizaveta Fedorovna sold all her property and jewelry and purchased a large estate on Bolshaya Ordynka. All the buildings that were located there were rebuilt and converted. The Monastery has a hospital with spacious wards, an operating room, a dressing room and a bathroom. The building of the house church (hospital church) was consecrated in the name of Saints Martha and Mary.

In 1912, the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, later one of the main attractions of Moscow, was opened in the Monastery. The Abbess of the Monastery herself lived in a house adjacent to the hospital building. There was a pharmacy and an outpatient clinic nearby. In addition, there was a Sunday School on the territory, where women studied.

The official opening of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent took place on February 10, 1909. After a while, Elizaveta Fedorovna purchased another plot, which made it possible to significantly expand the territory of the community and build a three-story building.

With the advent of Soviet power, the fate of the Grand Duchess was tragic. In 1918, a woman whose goal of life was to help her neighbor was arrested by the Bolsheviks. After two months of interrogations, brutal torture and abuse, she was thrown into a mine together with representatives of the Romanov family.

The monument to the founder of the monastery was unveiled in 1990. Divine services in the church were restored in 1992. In 2008, the restoration of the monastery's buildings and premises began.

Today, the Monastery hosts a charity White Chamomile Day dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis. The money collected at the holiday is transferred to shelters and hospitals in need. The Monastery has a shelter for orphan girls, a patronage service and a medical center for seriously ill children and children with cerebral palsy.