The bell tower of this church, noticeable from the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, attracts attention with its tall tent, which dominates the development of the Sofiyskaya Embankment. However, few see the church itself, only those who approach the bell tower and pass through its gates into the courtyard. It is there that one can see the temple, which is older than the bell tower.

The Sofia Church was built by royal gardeners living across from the Kremlin, in the very garden. The first mention of it dates back to 1495, making it one of the oldest in Zamoskvorechye. Then the temple disappears from written sources and is mentioned again as wooden in 1672. Ten years later, in 1682, it was rebuilt in stone, and this building has survived to this day with some changes.

Initially, the Church of the Wisdom of God had a traditional appearance for that time: a "ship" structure from west to east, a five-domed design with kokoshniks decorated with tiles. Over time, the appearance of the temple changed. In the mid-19th century, the dilapidated tent bell tower was dismantled. From 1862 to 1868, according to the project of architect Nikolai Ivanovich Kozlovsky, a new three-tiered bell tower in the Russian style was built from the side of the embankment, creating an ensemble with the Kremlin towers. In the second tier of the bell tower, a temple was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "The Seeking of the Lost" with the funds of merchant Kotov.

In the 1890s, the interiors of the temple were decorated with paintings in the style of the 17th century. In 1929-1930, the famous church painter Count V.A. Komarovsky worked on the new paintings.

The complete reconstruction of the church building was not realized. From 1891 to 1893, the old refectory was replaced with a new, wider one, with large windows decorated with pseudo-Russian trim. The chapels of Andrew the First-Called and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker were consecrated in it. The kokoshniks on the main part of the church were hidden under a later roof. In 1932, the temple was closed, and the paintings were painted over. In 1992, the church, which previously housed a factory club, apartments, and a laboratory, was returned to the faithful.

In 2017, conservation, restoration, and recreation of the lost paintings were carried out. The sketches for the recreation were based on the analysis of preserved sketches by V.A. Komarovsky and photographic documentation from the 1930s.

In 2018, the Church of the Wisdom of God became a laureate of the Moscow Government's "Moscow Restoration" competition in the nomination for "best organization of repair and restoration work."