In the 18th century, contemporaries noted that the number of churches in Penza surpassed that of any other city in the Volga region. One of the temples was located on Revolutionary Street, near house number 45.

The Bogolyubskaya Church was built in 1780 and was named in honor of the Bogolyubskaya icon of the Mother of God, created by the order of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. However, the church was not originally intended for local residents. Under Catherine II, there was a cemetery nearby, and services were held in the church in memory of the deceased. Later, the city authorities closed the necropolis, and the priests received additional territory. In 1782, the Penza fool-for-Christ Vasily was buried near the church, who was said to have predicted the future. Later, a chapel was built over his grave, and then a separate church named in his honor. In this church, the sister of Vasily Klyuchevsky was baptized, and a record of the death of the famous historian's mother was made there. Anna Fyodorovna was buried in the neighboring Mironositskoye cemetery, but Vasily Osipovich did not attend the funeral. Today, her grave can no longer be found, as time has destroyed the burial. The Bogolyubskaya Church also suffered destruction. In 1926, the church was closed and repurposed as an anti-religious museum and library.

In 1931, cranes and bulldozers were brought to the church to demolish the ancient building. Some residents took bricks home in memory of the holy place.