Pilgrims and tourists visiting Diveevo, Sarov, or Sanaksary sometimes do not realize that the surroundings of these places are also full of holy and remarkable sites. Here, ancient churches and holy springs are located near the roads along which worshippers from all over Russia traveled to Father Seraphim. One of these roads, known as the Tsar's Road, passed through the village of Kremenki, located 10 km southeast of Diveevo. Currently, one of the most beautiful churches in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1880, is being restored.

The white-stone church resembles a swan ready to soar into the sky from a distance. It stands on a mound soaked in the blood of warriors, whose remains are still found during excavations. In 1377, Russian troops fought against the Tatars at the fortress of Saraklych. In October 1670, a bloody battle took place here between the free people of Stepan Razin and the royal army. Legend has it that the water in the spring turned red with blood, and the face of the Virgin Mary, whose eyes were filled with tears, was reflected in it. This was a sign that the Mother of God mourned the fallen in this fratricidal battle.

In the summer of 1903, members of the royal family could appreciate the beauty of the church when Nicholas II was heading to the celebrations in honor of Elder Seraphim. According to tradition, the Sovereign stopped at the healing spring of the Theophany of the Mother of God and drank water from a ladle. A quarter of a century later, in the winter of 1927, the relics of the elder were transported back along this road under escort to Moscow. It is said that the bell in the belfry tolled when the cart with the relics passed by the spring, and the townspeople fell to their knees along the road.

The church was closed in 1937 on the feast of the Intercession, and many unique treasures and icons were lost. The church reopened on Palm Sunday in 1946. At a time when the Diveevo Monastery was closed and access to the holy springs was forbidden, people came to Kremenki to baptize children from the surrounding villages. The local church became the spiritual center of the Diveevo land.