At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Nikolaev Barracks were built on the eastern outskirts of Khodynka Field to accommodate the 1st Grenadier Artillery Brigade of Count Bruce and the Don Cossack Regiment of Generalissimo Prince Suvorov. Later, a church was established here, actively supported by State Councillor I.A. Kolesnikov. He envisioned it not just as a regimental church, but as a 'temple-monument of Russian sorrow,' dedicated to the statesmen who perished in the 1905 revolution, primarily to the Moscow Governor-General Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who was killed in the Kremlin. The church's foundation stone was laid on April 29, 1907, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Grand Duke's birth. The ceremony began with a requiem at the Chudov Monastery, after which a procession led by Metropolitan Vladimir of Krutitsy and Kolomna went to Khodynka Field for the solemn laying of the church. The church was consecrated on April 5, 1909.

The architect of the church was Vladimir Adamovich, who had already established himself as an assistant to Fyodor Shekhtel and the author of the Melnikov mansion on Volkovo Lane. He would later become known for creating the N.A. Vtorov mansion at Spasopeskovskaya Square, the 'Black Swan' villa in Petrovsky Park, and the Church of Saints Constantine and Michael in Vilnius. At Khodynka Field, Adamovich worked in a 'Byzantine' style, inspired by Balkan churches. The prototype was the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Thessaloniki from the 14th century, which has the same number of windows in the dome, 12. The church has five domes, with four small domes at the corners and 'striped' masonry on the facade, characteristic of the 'Byzantine' style. A bell tower is installed above the western entrance.

The dedication to the Vatopedi Icon of the Mother of God was not chosen by chance, as it is referred to in Russian tradition as 'Consolation and Comfort': the church was meant to be a place of sorrow and solace for the relatives of the deceased. The interior of the church featured marble plaques with the names of 1850 officials who were killed for political reasons in 1904 and 1907 across 73 provinces of Russia. Of particular value was the two-tiered iconostasis with gold decoration and the Shroud, embroidered by the nuns of the Novo-Alekseevsky Monastery based on a design by Viktor Vasnetsov.

After the revolution, the barracks became known as the October Barracks, the church was closed, and its building was used as a dormitory, warehouse, and construction workshop for the 'Banner of Labor' factory. All the domes and the bell tower were demolished, and by the end of the 1980s, the building was nearly destroyed. Fortunately, in 1991, the church was handed over to the community of believers, and restoration began, resulting in the Vatopedi Icon of the Mother of God Church regaining its historical appearance.