The brick church dedicated to the great martyr Nikita was built in 1695 in the Moscow Baroque style. Initially, it served as a family church for the wealthy merchant family Meshchaninovs from old Kolomna. The founder of this lineage was Demid Meshchaninov, who likely initiated the construction of the temple.

In the 18th century, the bell tower was rebuilt, adding a closed porch, and the northern chapel was expanded. In 1858 and 1860, the vaulted ceilings in the warm refectory were replaced to create a second southern chapel. The exterior appearance of the building changed from Baroque to late Empire style. The Nikita temple is a single-domed, pillarless structure in the form of a high two-light square with a vaulted ceiling. It has two chapels: in honor of the Apostle James, the Lord's brother, and St. Mitrophan of Voronezh. The walls and ceilings retain frescoes from 1830 with subsequent updates.

In the family of the priest of this church, P.M. Nikitsky, a son named Nikita was born in 1824, who became a philosopher, publicist, and publisher. At the Kolomna Spiritual School, he received the surname Gilyarov, and for his successes at the Moscow Seminary and Spiritual Academy, he was given the name Platonov, as a scholarship student of Metropolitan Platon.

The church housed relics, including the miraculous Jerusalem icon of the Mother of God, a cross, and the Vladimir icon, which belonged to Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and, according to tradition, accompanied him in his campaigns. Many saints' relics were also kept here.

In the region, the great martyr Nikita was venerated as the patron of infants, and people came from all over the city for "Nikita" holy water to heal children.

During the Soviet era, the church was destroyed and looted. The first Liturgy in the newly reopened church took place on September 28, 2001, on the feast day of the great martyr Nikita. In 2002, an iconostasis created by Kolomna artist Andrey Gavrilov was installed in the chapel of the Apostle James. Great attention is given to the church choir. A Sunday school and a summer Orthodox city camp operate at the church.