The current edifice is the result of several construction phases, destructions, and protection interventions. The remains of the oldest construction phase date to the 8th or 9th century, and can be found in the altar area. The church was subsequently remodeled in the 10th century, and further, in the 11th century as related in an inscription at the apse conch in the north porch. Its dome фтв and the northern aisle come from the latter reconstruction. The cathedral was almost completely destroyed in Timur's invasions of Georgia in 1400 and rebuilt by King Alexander I of Georgia (, who introduced a special tax to raise funds for the reconstruction of Ruisi and Mtskheta; An inscription in the western façade commemorates Alexander, while that in the southern façade mentions the architect Shalva. The church was refurbished by Dionise Laradze, bishop of Ruisi, in the 16th century and by Queen Mariam of Kartli in the 1660s. The remaining frescoes were covered in plaster in the 19th century. Ruisi was severely damaged in the 1920 Gori earthquake and repaired in two major efforts of 1936–1938 and 1950–1953.