Pogorelovo, a forgotten and abandoned village in the Kostroma region, once thrived as a state village. Local peasants often left for work in St. Petersburg, where some succeeded and became wealthy.

In one such family, Ivan Dmitrievich Polyashov was born. His career path culminated in a subcontract for renovation work at the Winter Palace. After receiving the status of hereditary honorary citizen, in 1903 Polyashov built a terem house. He became one of the largest landowners in the Chukhloma district, built a modern mill on the Viga River, a chapel in Pogorelovo, and a new chapel in the parish church in Dorka.