The village of Gnezdilovo, located on the Ruchye River, has been mentioned since the mid-17th century in connection with the Vasilyevsky church; however, it likely existed earlier as it was situated at the intersection of important waterways. In the 19th century, peasants found here Arab dirhams from the 8th century.

In 1784, a wooden church with a bell tower and one altar was built with the funds of parishioners. The parish included four villages with hamlets, totaling 670 parishioners. In 1903, the church was rebuilt: a new wooden church with one altar in honor of St. Basil the Great was erected. Three zemstvo schools operated at the church, receiving a state salary of 539 rubles per year, and there were 37 desyatins of land. Most of the land belonged to private owners, including the princes Meshchersky, the hero of the 1812 war General A.A. Velyaminov, the godson of Emperor Nicholas I A.N. Chertkov, as well as the nobles Bartenyev, Volkov, Kamenev, Pozdnyakov, Matov, Korosteleva, Belenikhins, and the hero of the Russo-Turkish war General A.A. Ozerov.