On December 12, 1633, in the area adjacent to Arbat, near the future Spasopeskovskaya Square, a streltsy regiment was stationed under the command of Filon Mikhailovich Onichkov. The streltsy soon built a wooden regimental church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which is documented from 1643 but appeared earlier.

In 1657, a new commander of the regiment, Timofey Matveevich Poltev, was mentioned for the first time, who led for over 20 years. Under his command, the streltsy participated in the war with the Poles in Belarus, suppressed the Copper Riot in Moscow in 1662, served in Kazan, and fought against the troops of Hetman Bryukhovetsky in Ukraine. In 1671, for suppressing the uprising of Stepan Razin, the regiment was awarded. At that time, about 800 people served in it.

At the end of the 17th century, the regiment was commanded by the stolnik and colonel Grigory Ivanovich Annenkov. In 1702, the streltsy found themselves in Baturin with Mazepa and participated in the Northern War. The regiment was reorganized, and the lands in Moscow were settled by other people, who built a new stone church of the Transfiguration on the site of the old temple in 1711. It has survived to this day without significant changes. In 1846, gates of the church fence were built, and in 1891, they were connected to the church with a new narthex.

On the corner of Trubnikovsky Lane, in 1877-1878, the artist V. D. Polenov lived, who created his famous painting "Moscow Courtyard" here. In the background of this canvas, the Church of the Savior on Sands is depicted.

For a long time, the elder of the church was Sergey Petrovich Turgenev, a cousin of the writer Ivan Sergeyevich. He was a hussar, an adjutant to the commander of the Moscow Military District, and invested significant funds in the improvement of the church and parish.

Thanks to his brother, I. S. Turgenev acquired an authorial repetition of the painting "Moscow Courtyard" from Polenov, which hung in his room until his death, reminding him of Russia and Moscow.

In 1931, the Soviet authorities closed the church, and the priest Sergey Uspensky, who had served there for 40 years, was shot. The building was used as a dormitory for Metrostroy, and from 1956, it housed the Soyuzmultfilm studio.

The Church of the Savior on Sands was returned to the believers in 1991.