The Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1907 and dedicated to the heavenly protector of all weapons makers Archangel Michael (construction had begun in 1897). It was financed by contributions of the Izhevsk plant workers who voluntarily donated 1 kopeck of every rouble earned towards the project. The cost of building the Cathedral was an impressive 350,000 roubles (considering the prices of the time) which was about 10,000 monthly wages of a plant worker.
The Cathedral was dedicated on November 4, 1915. Designed by architect Ivan Charushin, the Cathedral, located in the highest spot in Izhevsk, became the centre of a unique ensemble in the capital of Udmurtia. Contemporaries were in awe of the Cathedral's size and magnificence. It was built in the "Byzantine" ("Russian") style characteristic of the 19th century and was reminiscent of St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The features of the style are white stone finishing adorned with fancy red brick patterns and polygonal layout.
Taking part in building the Cathedral were artisans from all over Russia: architects from Vyatka, icon painters from Moscow and Yelabuga and carvers from St Petersburg. The altar icons, iconostases and icons were painted by Moscow icon painter Vasily Guryanov who had the recommendation of illustrious painter Viktor Vasnetsov.
The murals were made by P.K. Shustov, a church painter from Yelabuga. The main bell was recast from old guns at the Privalov Brothers Plant in 1899.
The first service performed in the Cathedral on November 4, 1907 was called upon to restore peace and calm among the laity after the 1905 Revolution and symbolized the unity of state, society and church.
The Cathedral performed several important functions for Izhevsk. It was the most magnificent and spacious church. In terms of architecture, it completed the formation of a single Christian site. Finally, it was the tallest building in Izhevsk.
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 it was repeatedly shut down, but reopened again and again at the request of the believers. But in 1937 the authorities made the final decision to demolish it.
The question of restoring the St Michael Cathedral was raised in 1995, and in 1996 the republic's head Alexander Volkov and Metropolitan Nicholas of Izhevsk and Udmurtia became the heads of the board of trustees for the restoration of the church. The rebuilding of the Cathedral was to be financed by the enterprises and organisations of Izhevsk and by private donations. Construction began in 2004 and on August 5, 2007 it was dedicated by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
Efforts were made to restore the Cathedral to its original shape and a three-part iconostasis was newly painted by Palekh artists from descriptions and surviving photographs. The faces of the saints were based on historical portraits of Ambrosius of Sarapul, Viktor of Glazov and Bishop Stephan of Izhevsk. The monolithic ceramic iconostasis of the lower baptizing church is a unique feature.
All the interior decoration work was completed in April 2010. The St Michael's Cathedral has been restored to its historical look.