The construction of the church was ordered by Davyd Sviatoslavich in 1120, and he was buried there in 1123.^[3] The cathedral was constructed on the site of an older building, as shown by remains of the building's foundations.^[2]

Boris and Gleb Cathedral was damaged and reconstructed several times throughout its existence. In the beginning of 17th century, the building was rebuilt into a Dominican church by the Poles. An octagonal rotunda-narthex was added to the western facade in the style of Ukrainian Baroque in 17th century.^[2] In the beginning of 18th century, by order of Hetman Mazepa, Philipp Jacob Drentwett of Augsburg made the silver royal doors of the church.^[4] The church was damaged significantly during WWII. In 1952–1958, the building was restored to its original appearance according to the project by M. V. Kholostenko. The frescoes that covered the walls of the church have hardly survived to this day.^[2]

The cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list since 1989.^[5] Currently, the museum of Ancient Chernihiv reserve is located on the territory of the church.

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  Boris and Gleb Cathedral before the restoration
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  Royal doors
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• List of churches and monasteries in Chernihiv
• Ancient Chernihiv