During the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral in 1880-1888, the old plaster was completely knocked out of its outer walls. Currently, according to the report of Professor P. A. Lashkaryov, only two altar apses were kept from the old Russian original church – the northern and central, and the southern apse was preserved only fragmentary, also the western wall to the roof, the Church of St. John the Forerunner. All other parts of the cathedral belonged to later periods, and these parts were reduced at different times, judging by the construction and materials of masonry. At the same time, new signs of an accident in the cathedral were discovered.

“Very important data is reported by P.A. Lashkarev about the domes of the Cathedral and St. John the Baptist Church, as well as about the ancient decorative design of their facades, “noting that the ancient baths, in particular, the top of the Church of St. John the Forerunner, were taken as a model. “From the last (temple) borrowed a cog above the windows of the arch, which distinguishes the dome lights on the Great Lavra Church … There is no doubt that the ancient walls of the church from the north, west, and south sides, and the same cogged arches, came to the end from the east over the roofs of the arches of the altar apses. ” Perhaps, “the perfection to the drum was not eaves, but arched, as in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev”.

“In 1893 a regular overhaul of the cathedral was carried out, during which the plaster was fully upholstered in the interior of the monument on the interior walls, pillars, arches and arches of the church. For the review of the monument a special commission was created, which included the architect V. M. Nikolaev. “. At the same time, a detailed survey of the structures and building materials of the cathedral, the state of the structures and the decorative decoration of the Assumption Cathedral was conducted. “During the repair of the temple in 1898. Under the floor in the choruses of the side chapel prep. Anthony under a brick-built stove was found tin vessels with gold and silver coins worth more than 50,000 rubles. This finding caused a heated discussion about the extent of the destruction of the Assumption Cathedral during the fire of 1718.

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, many new publications appeared on the history of the Assumption Cathedral, and iconographic and textual documents and illustrations from old Lavra editions of 1606-1721 were published. Old albums of drawings in Kiev, incl. and views of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. There were scientific discussions about the type of the Assumption Cathedral in different historical periods.

Attitude to the reconstructions of the cathedral at the beginning of the XX century. in some researchers of the 20th century, such as V. Sochinsky, it was negative: “the church was heavily repaired outside in 1879–80. and from the inside in 1883-1901. and Todito, when the most modern restorers seemed to restore the ancient look ”, the main portal of the church died, because instead of it a cheap glass vestibule was put in place for convenience; the walls of the church were re-plastered and the baroque stucco decoration was damaged. But most of all the devastation done inside the church. Here they completely threw away the stucco work as one of the harshest and most undesirable traces of Latin influence.