The Church of the Meeting of the Lord with the refectory of Antoniev Monastery in Veliky Novgorod was built between 1533 and 1535. The monastery itself was founded in 1106 by St. Anthony of Rome. For centuries, this place served as a center of spiritual enlightenment, and it housed an extensive library. In the 18th century, a theological seminary was opened at the monastery.

After the Bolsheviks came to power, the monastery housed the Institute of Public Education, which later became the Humanities Institute of Novgorod State University. Unfortunately, in 1918, Antoniev Monastery became one of the first Orthodox spiritual centers in Russia to face persecution from the Bolsheviks.

The Church of the Meeting remained active until the 1930s, after which its parish life was interrupted until 2012.