One of the well-known ancient monasteries of Bryansk, founded in the 16th century as a male monastery, is located on a hill in the southern part of the village by Ploshchanskoye Lake. The Kazan Mother of God Ploshchanskaya Monastery is a large monastic complex built in the classical style. For five centuries, the monastery held an important place among Russian Orthodox monasteries. During the Time of Troubles, the monastery was destroyed. According to legends preserved in the Ploshchanskaya desert and surrounding villages, the Kazan Mother of God Ploshchanskaya Monastery was established in the early 15th century in the valley of the Nerussa River, near Ploshchanskoye Lake, where the Nikolaevskaya monastery in the ancient Komarich volost arose.

The abbot of the desert, Igumen Serapion, wrote in his letter to the Sevsk Spiritual Consistory in 1778 that no written records of the monastery's founding time had been found, but it is known that it began to be revived between 1613 and 1620 after the invasion of the Polish king and the Lithuanians. An ancient Nikolaevsky monastery had previously existed on this site, destroyed by the Tatars and Lithuanians during the arrival of Dmitry the Pretender in Moscow. The revival of the monastery began with Hieromonk Prokopiy from the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and two monks from Kiev. Prokopiy, impressed by the beauty of the secluded place, settled on the mountain, digging himself a cave cell. The monks followed his example and arranged their cells in the ground, near the ancient Ploshchansk holy well. They built a wooden chapel over the spring for prayers, where they transferred a wooden carved icon of St. Nicholas and a Crucifixion, found by Prokopiy at the ruins of the Nikolaevskaya monastery.

Due to oppression from peasants and robbers, Prokopiy went to Moscow in 1620 to seek protection from the young Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich. They were warmly received and granted permission to revive the monastery and build a church. The Tsar gifted two icons from his chambers: the Merciful Savior and a copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Upon returning, Prokopiy and the monks built a wooden church by the lake, where he had a vision of the Mother of God. The gifts from the Tsar were transferred to the church, and later a Nikolsky chapel was added. Mikhail Romanov granted the land around the monastery to the monastery in perpetuity, marking the beginning of the revival of the Ploshchanskaya desert.

Until the second third of the 18th century, the buildings were wooden, then stone construction began: the Kazan Cathedral, the refectory, and the Church of the Protection. By the end of the 17th century, a fence and the Church of All Saints were built, along with an economic building. The construction of the warm Church of the Holy Spirit and the brotherly cells dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. Since 1882, the lands of the monastery were adjacent to the estates of Grand Duke Georgy Romanov, and after his death, they passed to his brother Mikhail.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the Ploshchanskaya desert remained one of the most famous and well-maintained in Russia. A linden alley led to the main church, the Kazan Cathedral with a three-tiered bell tower. Peacocks wandered among the flowers near the abbot's residence. The stable housed workshops and a forge. The desert welcomed pilgrims and was associated with the names of famous monks, such as Hieromonk Lev, revered for his foresight and miracles.

The spiritual life of the monastery was interrupted by the October Revolution. In 1919, a commune called "Bee" was organized on the basis of the monastery, which later became a village. In 1924, the monastery was looted and closed. In 1930, thirty monks were arrested and disappeared into camps. Of the four churches, only the Holy Spirit Church survived. The ruins of the Kazan Cathedral and remnants of the fortress wall remain. The miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, gifted by Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich, was returned in 1996 by two parishioners who hid it during the years of repression.

In 1994, the buildings of the monastery were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Restoration work is currently underway. The Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, built in 1815, has been restored. In 2001, the Church of All Saints was built, and in 2012, the restoration of the Kazan Cathedral began. The Ploshchanskaya Mother of God desert collaborates with the Rehabilitation Center for individuals affected by alcoholism, drug addiction, and sects.