The history of the construction of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross begins in the 16th century. A wooden church stood at the Fedoseyev pogost, first mentioned in 1572. From 1656, this pogost, as well as the village of Abbakumovo, belonged to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. During this time, the wooden church burned several times, was rebuilt, and fell into disrepair. It is known that on January 18, 1700, an antimins was issued, which mentioned that the church was consecrated as "the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross of the Lord in the village of Abbakumovo." This indicates that after the fire, the church was restored and consecrated under the same name. For a long time, the bell tower housed a bell with the inscription: "1700 year to the Exaltation at the pogost."

After the Patriotic War of 1812, active church construction began in Russia. The village of Abbakumovo, now Kosterëvo, was no exception. Local peasants and merchants decided to build a stone church. They collected cobblestones for the foundation and established brick production using local clays. An experienced architect was hired at the estate of Count Vorontsov in the village of Andreevskoye, who developed the construction plan and supervised the work. In the summer of 1814, a large drum with 12 windows and a spherical dome rose before the eyes of the villagers. These 12 windows symbolized the year 1812. A wooden shield with the names of the heroes of the Lipensk volost, who died for the Fatherland, was attached to one of the walls of the building.

The church was consecrated in 1815. It housed the main icon "Exaltation of the Holy Cross," created by the master Sazikov, a graduate of the Vladimir Art School. Initially, the church had three altars: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Trinity, and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Later, after the construction of a new Trinity church, only the central altar remained. In 1870, the refectory was expanded, and in 1879, the bell tower was raised. After the October Revolution, there were attempts to close the church, but it continued to function during the Soviet era.