Smolnevo is first mentioned in the land books in 1628, when Ivan Borisovich Lodygin laid it out for 500 rubles to Vasily Fyodorovich Shishkin. The village had the site of the former Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and an empty estate of the gentry, which testified to the consequences of devastation after the Time of Troubles. The church in Smolnevo was not restored until the early 18th century. In 1715, General-Adjutant Semyon Andreyevich Saltykov built a wooden church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Later, the estate passed to his son, Count Vladimir Semyonovich, who began the construction of a stone church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with an altar of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. In 1737, the altar was consecrated. The estate then passed to Vladimir's son, Count Sergey Vladimirovich, who in the 1780s rebuilt the church, making it two-storied with three altars on the lower floor. An octagonal tower rose above the church, and on the western side, a bell tower with a clock was installed in 1799. The second-floor gallery was closed in 1833, and in 1783, the altar of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was consecrated on the second floor.

Services in the church were held until 1938, when the last priest died. After his death, the church began to decay, and property was either taken away or looted. Locals say that icons were used to make a bridge over the Pestosh River. Recently, several icons were returned to the church. During the war, military pilots were housed in the church, living in the Kazan altar, while a dining room and stable were set up in the Spaso-Transfiguration altar. A club was located on the second floor, where local youth watched movies and danced. After the war, the church was used as a grain storage facility and then abandoned. It fell into disrepair, and locals dismantled it for building materials.

By the early 1990s, the church was in neglect, and the park was overgrown. In 2000, a church community was established. Moscow dacha owner Igor Mikhailovich Stoyanov helped with the restoration by sending workers and materials. Soon, one of the altars was repaired. Local residents and organizations began to help: Muscovites, Cossacks from Melenki, hotel and restaurant owners from Kirzhach donated furniture and dishes, while others brought building materials. Electricity and heating were installed. Deputy A. Sidorov attracted entrepreneurs who built a bridge over the Pestush River. In 2015, the main restoration work was completed, and on September 19, the Kazan altar was consecrated. In November 2019, the iconostasis in the Trinity altar was finished, and a concert hall was opened on the second floor. Today, the church is surrounded by flowers, well-kept lawns, and a landscaped area.