In 1737, by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the first wooden church was built for employees of the Imperial Stable Yard. The Empress ordered the Image of the Savior, the Shroud and the Icon of Sign inherited from Byzantine Empire to be placed in the new temple. In 1746, under Elizabeth Petrovna, the temple was rebuilt in stone. In 1816-1817, according to the project of architect V. Stasov, the reconstruction of the temple began. On the facade of the building one can see bas-relieves by V. Demut-Malinovsky "Entrance of The Lord to Jerusalem" and "Carrying the Cross". Artists S. Bezsonov and F.Bryullov worked on the interior decoration, the stucco was made by N.P. Zakolupin, the carved iconostasis was the work of sculptor V. Kreitan.

 The temple has witnessed various events in Russian history. The "Sad Chariot", on which the body of Alexander I was delivered to the capital city in 1826, was installed on the first floor of the building. In 1837, A.S. Pushkin burial service took place here, and in 1857 a memorial service was held for Mikhail Glinka, who had died in Berlin. After the revolution of 1917, the church was closed, its building then housed a club of mounted militia and later a branch of the institute Gidroproekt. The temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990.