The stone church with four altars was built between 1791 and 1796, although the parish existed since the mid-17th century. The altars of the church are consecrated in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, and Holy Martyr Simeon of Persia. This large two-light building in the Baroque style has one apse, but its completion and bell tower were lost. The church was built with funds from the local landowner Kirill Semyonovich Naryshkin, a great-grandson of Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin, the uncle of Peter I, who was granted Tenkis in the late 17th century. In the 19th century, the village belonged to the princes Gagarin.

More than half of the residents of Tenkis were Old Believers of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy, as well as of the Spasov and Pomor agreements. From the mid-19th century, Tenkis became the center of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy parish and non-circumcision, where discussions between missionaries and Old Believer mentors and priests of various agreements were often held.

From 1874 to 1894, the parish was led by priest, later archpriest Ivan Vasilyevich Matveevsky, a graduate of the KDS in 1856. He was known as an tireless missionary and conscientious pastor, under whom the transition to Old Belief ceased. Based on the church-parish school he had previously opened, a second-class teacher's church school was established. From 1894 to 1914, the church was led by his son, archpriest Nikolai Ivanovich Matveevsky, a graduate of the KDS in 1880, who also managed the second-class school. From 1890 to 1918 and later, priest Andrei Ivanovich Boldyrev, a graduate of the theological school, served in Tenkis, who had been serving here as a psalmist since 1868. Currently, services are held in the altar consecrated in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.