There is a legend that Ivan the Terrible's campaign against Kazan in 1552 passed through the territory of the present-day Bogorodsky district of Nizhny Novgorod region. It is said that here, by the Syuchug River, near a small village, the army was forced to stop due to the illness of Ivan IV. When the tsar recovered, he ordered the construction of a chapel in honor of John the Baptist.

Later, a church with the same name appeared on this site, and the village was named Ivanovsky in honor of the temple.

As it turned out, the legend has grounds, as there was a land route in the vicinity of Ivanovsky village even during the times of Ivan the Terrible.

Initially, the temple was wooden, but the exact date of its construction is unknown. In 1849, it suffered greatly from a fire, stood for several more years, and was dismantled. After that, the construction of a stone church began, which welcomed its first parishioners in 1865. The temple had an altar of the Nativity of John the Baptist and the Lord's Baptizer, as well as a chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

After the revolutions of 1917, the church remained active for another twenty years but was then closed.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, attempts have been made to revive the temple.