The Church of Paraskeva Friday is located in the village of Old Town, one of the oldest places in the former Tambov province, now situated in the Republic of Mordovia. The modern village of Old Town is on the site of the ancient city of Temnikov, which existed until the 16th century. The first documentary mention of Temnikov appears in a separate charter by Dmitry Donskoy and Oleg of Ryazan, dated 1382.

At that time, the city was located where the village of Old Town is now, 10 kilometers from present-day Temnikov downstream of the Moksha River. In 1535, Elena Glinskaya, seeking to protect the region from Tatar raids, ordered the construction of a defensive line of fortresses, and in 1536, Temnikov was moved to its current location. The settlement that remained at its former site was named Old Town.

The first mention of the church in this village is found in a report by the chairman of the Learned Archive Commission of Tambov province, A.N. Nartsov, published in 1902. Nartsov writes that in 1618, according to the scribal books, there was a church of the holy great martyr Paraskeva, known as Friday, with icons, books, and candles, built by the parishioners.

The dedication of the church to Saint Paraskeva Friday was characteristic of that period of church construction. The most famous of them was located in Moscow in the trading square.

In the State Archive of the Tambov Region, a plan of the Temnikov district showing the village of Old Town, dated 1784, has been preserved. This plan indicates the church of the great martyr Paraskeva and shows the church land. It is possible that this is the same church mentioned by Nartsov. However, there is no further information about this church. Historically, the village did not belong to a single owner, and the plan lists the owners of the land.

The next information about the church is published in the book by the Kholmogorovs, which states that the Diocesan records of 1815 mention a wooden church built in 1797 and dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker. It is possible that this was the second church in the village, or the previous church dedicated to the holy great martyr Paraskeva was damaged by fire. Furthermore, the Kholmogorovs write that the church built in 1797 burned down in 1820, and in its place, a stone church in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected in 1827. In 1890, the Kholmogorovs noted that a semi-ruined stone chapel stood on the site of the old wooden church.

There is another date for the construction of the church, 1840. At that time, a stone church was built with funds from the parishioners, featuring two altars: the main, cold one in the name of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the side, warm one in the name of the holy great martyr Paraskeva. The date 1840 is 13 years later than the one given by the Kholmogorovs. This may be an error, or it may refer to the completion of the refectory. No archival documents on this matter have survived, but a visual inspection of the church confirms the presence of an additional room.

Over time, the parish grew, and in 1884, the parishioners decided to expand the refectory. The project for the construction of the church was approved on January 18, 1884, and its author was junior architect of the Temnikov Provincial Administration, Svirchevsky.

The church building consists of three parts: the temple, built in 1827, the bell tower, erected around the same period, and the refectory, the first of which was built in 1840, and the second, expanded in 1884. The church and its annexes reflect the change of architectural styles.

The temple, built in the early 19th century, is executed in the traditions of classicism: square in plan, with a drum in the form of a rotunda and a dome. The facades of the temple are modestly decorated, with rectangular niches above the windows. The architecture is based on the proportions of simple lines.

In 1884, when the last refectory was added, churches were built in the 'Russian-Byzantine style.' Svirchevsky's project reflects this influence. The roof of the refectory rests against the drum of the dome and covers the second tier of the bell tower, creating an impression of massiveness. The height of the refectory corresponds to the large arched windows, and the facade is overloaded with details such as rustication on the pilasters.

During the inspection of the building, the walls of the first refectory were found inside the later refectory. After the plaster was removed, window openings were discovered, later expanded for entrances to the side altars. Above the window openings, brick decor can be traced, smoothed during the reconstruction. The wall of the first refectory adjacent to the bell tower had no rustication and was flat. The shape and height of the cornice are repeated on the preserved corners of the refectory's junction with the temple, but the cornice on the outer side of the building has been destroyed by atmospheric effects. The junction nodes of the refectory to the temple have no masonry ties. The sizes of the bricks, color, and composition of the mortar differ, confirming the later addition of the first refectory. On the vaults of the first refectory's ceiling, traces of its roof's junction with the temple are visible. Numerous signs of alterations indicate the possibility of a narthex existing in the western part of the temple. This is indicated by niches similar to those above the window openings of the temple and the refectory.

In the space between the bell tower and the refectory, the walls of the later addition are unplastered and adjoin the bell tower without masonry ties. On the first refectory and bell tower, a plastered wall has been preserved, likely the former exterior. During the reconstruction, these walls were not destroyed, and it can be asserted that they were last whitewashed around 1884.

The roof over the second addition of the refectory absorbed traces of the original alterations, preserving them for research.

The Soviet period had a destructive impact on the monument. After the confiscation of the building, the cold church was adapted for storage, insulated with a wooden ceiling and earth fill. A hole was made in the center of the dome for a chimney.

The refectory was given to tenants who set up a mechanical mill, while the rest of the space served as a warehouse.

The bell tower also deteriorated. The upper part was demolished down to the lower tier. Part of the middle tier's columns remained.

On the plan of the village of Old Town from 1885, the church is depicted as fenced. According to residents' memories, the church had brick arched gates with wickets, and the fence was metal.

As a result of research work, two historical plans dated 1784 and 1885 were identified.

Combining them with the modern master plan shows that the church from 1784 was located in a different place. The 1885 plan corresponds to the current state. It is likely that the church dedicated to the great martyr Paraskeva burned down, and it was replaced by a stone church without a side altar.

From Nartsov's report, it follows that in 1840, a warm church was built in the name of Paraskeva Friday, likely as a side altar in the refectory of the church of Nicholas the Wonderworker.

On the eastern wall of the refectory, a niche for an icon has been preserved, indicating the original location of the side altar. After the expansion of the refectory in 1884, the side altar was moved to the southern room, where it is now, as evidenced by the paintings and traces of icons on the walls.