The lithography presents St Nicolas-in-the-Gostiny-Dvor Church in the Merchants Arcade, in Kazan. The building has the shape of a cube with four domes crowned with an octagon tented roof.

The first reference to the church was made in the 16th century, however historians do not know the exact date when the church was built.

Nicolas the Wonderworker or St Nicolas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia has long been venerated as the patron saint of sailors, travelers and merchants. So was for this reason, that the church in his name was consecrated in the centre of Kazan. The Merchant Arcade (Gostiny Dvor) had monopoly on trade in the city for a long time. There were more than 600 shops and small trade outlets concentrated inside and near it.
The church, called Nicola the Gostin by people, was supported from the state allowance – the ruga – and rented out its own street-stands and warehouses.

It was in St. Nicolas-in-the-Gostiny-Dvor Church that Hermogenes, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, served.

He was present at the appropriation of the icon of Our Lady of Kazan in 1579 and took it to the church. St. Hermogenes described those events in the Story of the Appearance and Miracles of the icon called the Theotokos of Kazan. He wrote,

The Church of St. Nicolas the Wonderworker withstood several fires during the subsequent two centuries. They served less and less in the church, that was falling into decay; several attempts were undertaken to demolish it. Finally, its porch and parvis were dismantled. However, the church still preserved its overall architectural look in the first half of the 19th century, which was reflected in this lithography by Edward Turnerelli, artist and lecturer of the Kazan University.

The church building was returned to the Kazan Diocese in 2017, and there are plans to restore its initial architectural look.