In 1687, at the request of Archimandrite Gerasim of the Theological Monastery, a church was built in honor of John the Theologian, which was consecrated by the Rostov Metropolitan Ion III Sysoevich. In the early 17th century, the church and the village around it were destroyed by fire. A new church was erected only in the 1680s. The Theological Church remained active until the arrival of Soviet power; its majestic appearance and beauty attracted artists. The famous Russian painter V. V. Vereshchagin depicted it in his painting "The Porch of the Village Church. Waiting for Confession."

In 1913, Tsar Nicholas II visited the church with his family to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Color photographs of the church and its iconostasis, taken in 1911 by photographer S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky, have survived.

The Church of John the Theologian is a tiered wooden church set on a high basement. Its decor features many hewn and carved elements: ridges on the roof, ceilings made of thin boards laid "in a herringbone pattern," and elegant carved columns. Decorative carved boards are located above and below the windows, and the window openings are covered with wooden shutters of a special design.

The bell tower was built in the 19th century and is connected to the church by a wooden passage. Inside, the Theological Church is bright and spacious, impressing with its rich decoration. In the altar area, there are fragments of an ancient tiered four-level iconostasis with bright ornamental painting. The icons date back to the 16th-18th centuries. Nearby is a copy of the unique wooden Tsar's Gates, created in 1562 by the carver monk Isaiah. The Rostov master V.L. Nikolsky carved this copy in the 1880s.

Currently, the church is not active and is managed by the Rostov Kremlin Museum-Reserve. The church is protected as a monument of ancient Russian wooden architecture.