In 1994, thanks to Russian emigrants, the first center of Russian Orthodoxy appeared in Costa Rica. At the request of the elder Nikolai Ivanovich Zakharov, priest Daniil Mackenzie held the Divine Liturgy for the first time in this country. Thus, the community of the Protection of the Holy Virgin was created, where services were held 2-3 times a year in the private homes of parishioners.

In April 2006, the community acquired a plot of 2500 square meters in the northwest of San Jose, 10 kilometers from the city center, for the construction of a church, as well as a building for a refectory, Sunday school, and library.

By 2010, 60 people were actively participating in parish life, including Russians who emigrated from the former USSR over the past 30 years, Costa Ricans, and representatives of other nationalities. Up to 100 people attend the Easter services.

The rector of the church, Archpriest Sergey Lukyanov, shares: "Parishioners bake prosphora themselves. The community is growing and coming together, new people are arriving. In the last two trips, together with the Spanish-speaking priest Father Ignatius, I conducted several weddings. There are no crowns in the church, and our parishioners figured out to pick white fragrant flowers from a tree growing near the church and wove wreaths together."

"One of the first homes I visited was that of 'Aunt Emma', as everyone called her, a 90-year-old Russian-speaking resident of San Jose, continues Father Sergey. A few years ago, she came to church, and when asked about her origin, she replied that she was Armenian, which displeased someone, and the woman was hurt. I went to her home and was able to talk with her. It turned out that not only she but also her ancestors were born in Georgia, in Tbilisi, where Emma was baptized and named Emilia. I convinced her to come to church on Sunday. The elderly woman confessed, took communion, and when she approached the cross, as a sign of gratitude, she handed me a box with a 'Napoleon' cake that she had baked herself. We shared the cake at the refectory."