On August 14, 2005, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II visited Optina Monastery and conducted the consecration and laying of the cornerstone for a new church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Before the monastery was closed by the Soviet authorities, there was no church on this site, so the construction became a new milestone in the history of the monastery, a transition from restoration to the creation of something new. In two and a half years, the church was built and decorated by Optina icon painters. The minor consecration was performed by the monastery's abbot, Archimandrite Benedict, on December 30, 2007. On the same day, the relics of the venerable confessor Raphael (Sheichenko) were solemnly transferred to the church's narthex. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated several times a week in the church, and water blessing services are held.