Incorporated into the north-west of Moscow is the village of Tushino and it was here that the Second False Dmitri (known as the Thief of Tushino) had his camp and court during the Times of Troubles.  The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery existed here from the 14th century up until it was dissolved in 1764.  After 1764 the monastery's Transfiguration of the Saviour Church became a parish church and was rebuilt in the neo-classical style between 1886 and 1888 further away from the River Skhodnya.

In 1935 the church was closed and subsequently used by various clubs and factories.  Its bell tower and main dome were removed in the process.  In 1990 it was reopened and fully restored by 1994.