The village of Suistamo is located in the Salmi district of the Vyborg province, 360 versts from St. Petersburg and 90 versts from Salma. It is situated on the southern slope of a mountain where the church stands. To the west of it lies a cemetery with a disused church, and to the south and southeast are the houses of the clergy, surrounded by the fields of the priests.

The exact time of the church's founding is unknown. More reliable information about its history dates back to the 18th century. In the disused church of the Epiphany of the Lord, there is an inscription on the cross lying on the altar, suggesting that the first church in this parish was built during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna or between 1741 and 1701. Another inscription indicates that the church of the Epiphany was built by the local priest Markov and his children. According to popular tradition, this church was warm, built specifically for the old priest Markov, who found it difficult to serve in a cold church.

According to the same tradition, the previous church had two altars, dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Prophet Elijah. From the disused Epiphany church, an old antimins has survived, consecrated on April 27, 1795, by Metropolitan Gabriel.

The current church, a single-altar one dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was laid in 1839 with the blessing of His Eminence Seraphim, according to a project drawn up by order of the Vyborg governor Karl August Ramsay. The construction was carried out by the parishioners with a small subsidy from the treasury, with a total cost of 10,000 rubles in silver. The contractor was the St. Petersburg merchant Fedul Gromov, who agreed to receive payments over the years to ease the financial burden on the parishioners. The timber was delivered by the parishioners from public forest areas.

The church was finally completed in 1844, and its antimins was consecrated on February 27, 1844, by Bishop Athanasius. The iconostasis was painted in oil by the deacon of the church from the Academy of Arts, Tamarinsky. Among the ancient church utensils, two lead chalices, half a star, a ladle, and plates stand out. Notably, among the church books is a Gospel printed in Moscow on August 9, 1701. In the church library, in addition to liturgical books, there are spiritual journals. Metric books have been maintained since 1812.

Until 1808, the clergy consisted of a priest, a deacon, and two clerks. On April 2, 1808, at the request of the parishioners, a second priest was appointed, and two clerks were added. The reasons for the request to increase the clergy are difficult to determine precisely; it is likely related to the vastness of the parish, the difficulty of accessing the church, and the habit of parishioners inviting the clergy to perform services at home.

Until 1803, the clergy received a salary, but later, to ease the burden of collection, a voluntary agreement was made with the parishioners, who agreed to pay each priest 600 rubles in silver, the deacon 300 rubles, and the clerks 150 rubles each, on the condition that the clergy would perform all services for free, except for the burial of the dead in the cemetery, molebens, panikhidas, and memorial lunches. The income from these services barely reaches 50 rubles for the clergy.

The clergy have no special occupations; knowledge of the Finnish language allows some of its members to draft various written documents for parishioners, such as promissory notes, purchase agreements, petitions, and more. For the accommodation of the two priests and the deacon, houses were built by the parishioners, as required by Finnish law. The clerks do not have houses from the parishioners, as this is not provided for by law. Deacon Mikhail Vinogradov owns a small house purchased from a peasant. Among the former clerks, Deacon Alexander Okulov lived in a house inherited from priest Fedot Lvov; clerk Nikolai Okulov received part of the building materials for accepting logs taken for the house of priest Ioann Albin.

The Suistamo parish includes 21 Finnish villages. According to church records from 1873, there were 380 households, 2,598 men, and 2,738 women. The villages are located at varying distances from the church. Some villages have chapels, totaling 12, while in 1867 there were 11. In terms of religious practice, the parishioners show themselves positively, especially in attending church. On average, up to forty people attend the church on Sundays and holidays. The main obstacles to attending church are the difficulties of rural work, the distance from the church, and the muddy roads in spring and autumn. Among religious holidays, the day of the Prophet Elijah is especially revered, possibly because the church was originally dedicated to this saint.