The village of Merkushino, located 50 km east of Verkhoturye, is rightly considered a pearl of the Urals. In 1886, here, at the site of the discovery of the relics of Saint Simeon, the Holy Simeon Church was built, connected by a bright gallery to the majestic cathedral in honor of the Archangel Michael. Due to its harmonious combination with the natural landscape, by the end of the 19th century, Merkushino was considered one of the most beautiful villages in the Urals.

The Ural land has given the world many saints, but the main patron of the region is Saint Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, the miracle worker of all Siberia. For his meekness and purity of heart, he was glorified by the Lord, and the place of his labors, the village of Merkushino, became a site of miraculous healings. Here, on the land sanctified by his life, everyone feels a special closeness to God. Simeon prayed here, fished, sewed fur coats for the local residents, and completed his days, being buried near the church in 1642. Fifty years later, his relics were discovered, and a healing spring opened in his grave. The fame of the saint grew, and in 1704, his relics were transferred to Verkhoturye. Before the revolution, the veneration of Saint Simeon was widespread in Russia. By the end of the 19th century, about 50,000 pilgrims visited his relics annually, and by the early 20th century, up to 120,000.

In 1913, a huge Cross Exaltation Cathedral was built in the Holy Nicholas Monastery, accommodating up to 10,000 people. Pilgrims also visited the site of Saint Simeon's feats and his healing spring in Merkushino. Members of the Royal Family deeply revered the saint and in 1914 donated a carved silver canopy for his relics. That same year, a procession took place from Yekaterinburg to Verkhoturye. In July 1914, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna visited the monastery. However, after 1917, decades of godlessness ensued. The saint's relics were desecrated, the spring was filled in, and the architectural ensemble of the village was destroyed: in 1931, the cathedral was blown up, in 1945, the gallery was dismantled, and the Holy Simeon Church was abandoned.

However, as it is said in the Holy Scriptures, "there is a time to destroy and a time to build." Today, the land of Saint Simeon is coming back to life. Since 1997, the Holy Simeon Convent of the Novo-Tikhvin Women's Monastery has been operating in Merkushino. In 2001, a new Church of Archangel Michael was laid, consecrated in 2004. The monastery restored the temple complex and arranged accommodations for pilgrims. About 20 sisters live permanently in Merkushino, singing and reading in the church, welcoming worshippers. Three times a year, during the celebrations of the discovery and transfer of the relics of Saint Simeon, sisters from Yekaterinburg come here. The main iconostasis of the church was created according to the design of Pyotr Berezkin in the style of Moscow Naryshkin Baroque.