One of the main attractions of Mstera is the preserved Epiphany Church, built in 1687 during the reign of Tsarina Sophia. At that time, the Russian army, commanded by Prince V.V. Golitsyn, was undertaking the first Crimean campaign, while the serfs of the Romodanovsky princes, freed from military service, laid the foundation for the stone church. It is likely that an experienced architect familiar with the capital's architecture oversaw the work of local craftsmen. He did not follow new European trends but relied on the traditions of pillarless churches from the mid-17th century, which were familiar to the people. Perhaps the Romodanovsky princes wanted to see a church in their estate reminiscent of the famous Moscow churches.

The construction of the stone church in remote Mstera was a significant event. The forms of the building were carefully discussed, and since there were no visual images, they were guided by well-known structures. Among the examples that the architect was to imitate were Moscow churches such as the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Church of the Mother of God of the Georgian Icon, and the Church of Nicholas in Pyzhy. After the ceremonial laying of the foundation, the complex process of construction began.

The plan for the future church was simple: massive altar apses adjoined the main volume from the east, and from the west, the refectory. The completion of the church, which would give it artistic completeness, was called the "heads." Local craftsmen aimed to build a church that would amaze everyone, "like none before in Russia." On the creaking scaffolding, workers lifted heavy bricks and mortars. The most responsible moment was the laying of the vault: the walls inclined inward and converged at the center. On the vault, retreating from the edge, a second row of kokoshniks was installed, from which five small domes grew. A huge load was placed on the vault, so the central dome was made solid to avoid weakening the structure. This was important, as in the Annunciation Church in Vyazniki, built four years earlier, the craftsmen did not dare to make light openings in the vault. The local stoneworkers who worked on that construction remembered this well.