Once, near the area where the Church of St. Nicholas now stands, there was a place known as Zapyatnyche. A shoemaker named Havrylo Kuntsevych lived there, and it was in his home that his son Ivan was born—the man who would become known to the world as Saint Josaphat. He suffered a martyr’s death and found eternal rest in the crypts of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The plot of land where the Kuntsevych family home once stood was later sold by the saint’s relatives to Porphyrius Skarbka Vazhynsky, a local Greek Catholic priest. At his request, a chapel dedicated to Saint Josaphat was built on this site in 1780.

The chapel remained in use for 15 years. In 1795, when Volodymyr, along with the rest of Volyn, became part of the Russian Empire, it was transferred to the Orthodox Church. Five years later, it was consecrated as the Church of St. Nicholas. Until 1900, it served as the city’s main church, since the Assumption Cathedral was in a state of disrepair and unsuitable for worship. Later, it functioned as a cemetery chapel. In 1915, it became the only church in the city where services were conducted in the Ukrainian language.

During the Soviet era, like most religious buildings, the Church of St. Nicholas lost its sacred function. The authorities repurposed it as a warehouse.

However, in 1991, the church was returned to the Orthodox community. Through their efforts, the interior was restored, and the bell tower—once wooden—was rebuilt in brick.