First mentioned in chronicles in 862, the ancient town of Murom came into being at the place of the Finno-Ugric tribe "muroma" settlement. By the end of the 10th century the first Slav settlements appeared on this territory. Gleb inherited Murom from his father, Kiev Grand Duke Vladimir.

In the late 14th century the region was incorporated by the Moscow principality. Nothing of that ancient period is retained. Still, the city preserved some of the best examples of the 16-18th century architecture.

In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, a number of stone churches were built in Murom: the Cathedrals of the Annunciation Monastery and the Savior Monastery, the tent-shaped Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian on the bank of the Oka and some others that have not been preserved.

In the 17th century the Trinity Convent was erected, as well as the Annunciation Monastery and the Resurrection Monastery. The monument to Ilya Muromets, the Water Tower and the Palace of the Uvarovs were erected in the 19-20th centuries.