The nature in the village of Desert in the Vologda region amazes with its beauty. It is here that one of the oldest monasteries in Russia, the Nilo-Sorskaya Desert, was founded nearly 500 years ago by St. Nil. In his time, Nil was a pilgrim in Constantinople and on Mount Athos, where the hermitic life was popular. Upon returning home, he decided to create his own hermitage and went to the Vologda lands.

There he erected a cross, dug a cell and a well, laying the foundation of the Orthodox desert. Over time, other clergy began to join Nil, and by the early 19th century, the monastery had significantly expanded. The wooden churches began to decay, and it was decided to build one large temple, named in honor of the Tikhvin Mother of God. The temple was adorned with wall paintings depicting biblical scenes and baroque iconostases. A new reliquary was also installed, featuring images from the life of St. Nil.

Presumably in the 1850s, relics believed to belong to St. Nil were discovered. Hieromonk Nikon gathered them for reburial after the completion of the temple's construction. By 1904, the desert had become a large architectural complex, including not only buildings but also numerous economic structures: cattle yards, stables, sheepfolds, haylofts, granaries, storerooms, a bathhouse, a laundry with plumbing, a forge, a mill, and hotels for pilgrims.

During the Soviet era, a district correctional colony was organized on the territory of the Nilo-Sorskaya Desert, and later a psychoneurological dispensary operated here. Today, the desert has once again been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.