Named after St. Nicholas II, the church was build in 1882 – shortly after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. On its place before that was the Saray Mosque.

The Russian architect Mikhail Preoblazhenski designed the building which construction coincided with the building of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nearby. The style is Russian Revival Style and it reminds very much of the Muscovite Russian churches in Moscow dating from the 17th century. This is one of the reasons why almost everyone call the church Ruskata curkva (the Russian Church)

It has 5 gold-plated domes and the bells were donated by Emperor Nicholas II.

Under the building there is a crypt which entrance is sidelong the main one. In it the remains of St. Archbishop Seraphim are laid. A tradition is to go in the crypt and write down on a piece of paper your wishes.

The church is right next to the National Museum of Natural History and very close to St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.