On June 25, 1732, Archimandrite Varlaam Vysotsky reported to the Holy Synod that regular services were being held for Saint Mikhey, including the reading of the troparion and kontakion. He pointed out the need to build a church in his honor, which began in the summer of 1732 by the order of Empress Anna Ioannovna during her last visit to the monastery. Two years later, Mikheev Church was consecrated.

The smallest church of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra is the Church of the Appearance of the Mother of God to St. Sergius of Radonezh. The life of Sergius describes the appearance of the Mother of God to him, witnessed by St. Mikhey. Therefore, the church is dedicated to this event and is also known as Mikheev Church. The relics of St. Mikhey rest here, and a shrine with his image has been established for veneration. A miniature carved iconostasis from the 18th century was transferred from the private church of Metropolitan Platon Levshin of Moscow. The interior walls of the church are adorned with oil paintings from the 19th century.

The church is located at the north-west corner of the Refectory and has an elongated octagonal shape. The facades are decorated with picturesque ornamentation and divided by pilasters highlighted by color. Arched windows are framed with white profiled ribbons. The two-tiered figured roof of Dutch type was installed after the fire of 1746 to replace the burned covering. The modest size and decoration of the facades of Mikheev Church emphasize the grandeur and decorativeness of the Refectory. The church houses a carved iconostasis from the 18th century from the private church of Metropolitan Platon Levshin, and the walls are adorned with oil paintings from the 19th century.

The disciples of St. Sergius kept the memory of the visit of the Mother of God to the Trinity Monastery and Her promise sacredly. On July 5, 1422, the relics of Sergius were found, and soon an icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God was placed on his grave, revered as a great shrine. The Trinity monk Ambrose reproduced this icon in wood carving.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on the Kazan campaign. The most famous icon was painted in 1588 by the cellarer of the Lavra, Eustathius Golovkin, on a board from the dismantled wooden shrine of Sergius. This icon repeatedly protected the Russian troops. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich took it on the Polish campaign in 1657. In 1703, it participated in campaigns against Swedish King Charles XII, and in 1812, Metropolitan Platon sent it to the Moscow militia. The icon also participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 and was present at the Supreme Commander’s headquarters during World War I in 1914.