The St. John the Baptist Church in Kaluga was built in 1735 on the site of a previous wooden structure. In 1754, it suffered greatly from a fire that destroyed a significant part of the city. As a result, the fire almost completely destroyed the interior decoration and icons of the church, except for the image of John the Baptist.

The restoration of the church was completed in 1763 thanks to the efforts of priest Nikita Egorovich Popov and parishioners who raised the necessary funds. At that time, two chapels were added: one in honor of Sergius of Radonezh, and the other in honor of the martyrs Gurias, Samon, and Abibus. Artificial marble of various colors was used for the interior decoration.

In the late 19th century, the church underwent repairs, during which the walls were repainted, and the floors were covered with parquet. The paintings were based on copies of images from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. The seven-tiered iconostasis was updated on new canvases but on old boards, following the sketches of artists Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Makovsky, and Sorokin. The ancient icon of John the Baptist and the icon of the martyrs Gurias, Samon, and Abibus were particularly venerated.

From the outside, the church looks majestic and is richly decorated. The main part of the building has a quadrangular shape with numerous windows. At the corners of the upper part, there are four small domes that transition into a rotunda-shaped top with a round dome, adorned with stars on a blue background. The three-tiered bell tower in Gothic style was built in 1784. Three columns are installed at the corners of the first two tiers, connected by an arrow in the second tier. The upper tier was altered during repairs in the 1890s.

In 1929, the church was closed, although some sources indicate 1934, as the community could not carry out major repairs. In the mid-1950s, the altar facing Moscow Street was dismantled as it obstructed traffic. Since 1960, the church has been recognized as a monument of architecture and urban planning of republican significance.

Until 1995, the building housed a culture college. On August 7, 1995, the church was transferred to the Kaluga Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. On August 15, 1997, a contract was signed between the Directorate for the Protection of Monuments and the Kaluga Diocese regarding the preservation and use of the monument.

Currently, the church has been fully restored on the outside, and work on the interior decoration and wall painting is nearing completion. On January 29, 2007, the Government of the Russian Federation transferred the church to the ownership of the Kaluga Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.