Not long ago, this building was hard to call a church: it resembled a semi-ruined remnant of a house. However, in recent years, the temple has been gradually restored. Moreover, unexpectedly new, previously unknown fragments of its ancient decor have been discovered.

The name of the church "in Derbenevsky" has historical justification: in ancient times, there were indeed hard-to-pass places, densely overgrown with forest. Over time, the area was cleared and settled, but the name remained with the first wooden church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the early 17th century and first mentioned in 1635. Almost no information has survived about it, but it is known that it was built by local archers. Hence the second name of the church, "in the Streltsy settlement, on Olkhovets." Olkhovets is a stream that now flows underground in a collector. The colonel of the local archers was the boyar Semyon Fyodorovich Griboedov: his father, Fyodor, was among the compilers and signatories of the Sobornoye Ulozheniye of 1649, the main code of laws of Russia in the 17th century. Semyon's great-grandson, Alexander Griboedov, became a famous writer and playwright.

It is believed that the new stone church was built by 1715. Its main square has survived from that time, while other parts have been rebuilt several times. A new bell tower was erected in 1791. In 1878, the right part of the refectory with the chapel of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" was rebuilt, and in 1895, the left part with the chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh. In both cases, the work was carried out by architect K.M. Bykovsky, who created a symmetrical refectory in the neo-Russian style.

The church was closed for services in 1927, and the building was converted into a garage for the Moscow Air Defense District. At that time, the domes and bell tower were demolished, the interior decoration and iconostasis were lost, and the paintings were destroyed.

The situation remained unchanged for a long time, even after services resumed in 1994. Repair and restoration work only began in 2000 and continues to this day. However, much has already been done: the refectory has been put in order, its brick decor restored, and the building crowned with new domes. The most interesting details were discovered on the square and altar apses: under the layer of plaster, figured window frames in the style of pre-Petrine church architecture appeared. This may indicate an earlier date for the construction of the church. Research and restoration of the church continue, new discoveries and finds are possible, and the reconstruction of the bell tower is also planned, the role of which is currently performed by a small wooden belfry.