A small village Mat is 175 miles from the city of St. Petersburg. Here is the famous temple of the blessed virgin Mary. The image of the virgin was once found by a shepherd on the river Bank – in memory of this amazing event, it was decided to erect a Church on the site of the finding of the icon. The miraculous appearance of the icon occurred a very long time, but we know that in 1582 the temple was already built, but his description, there is no information.

The very first Church was built of wood and shaped like an oblong quadrangle. It towered five wooden domes. In the spring of 1834 in the Church was on fire and she was completely lost, including all assets and savings. After a terrible accident parishioners filed a petition for construction of a stone Church, having found a supporter in the person of a merchant Artova Mikhail Davidovich. The petition was granted, and rural parishioners started construction, independently delivering the necessary material.
Autumn 1 September 1838 construction of the stone Church of the blessed virgin Mary was completed, after which it was immediately sanctified. Today's Antimension consecrated in 1870 by Bishop Tikhon.

An important attraction of the Church is a bell weighing up to 20 pounds; know that it is molded in Herat Mayer in Stockholm. On the bell depicts the Savior with the power in his hands.

Plat books and the plan of the Church to the present day has not been preserved and burned along with the wooden Church. Church parables in 1809 amounted to: the clerk, the Sexton and the priest. According to the States of 1843 the office of Sexton was eliminated. Among the priests of the temple of the blessed virgin Mary known names: Vasiliy Nikitin T., Bartholomew, Soloviev John, Osmanski Nicholas.

In the period up to 1834 the Church the parable was not given to the content from the congregation. But in 1820 he was about 3 acres of land, which brought in an income of $ 100. He was granted land required great care, because it was completely covered with shrubs and moss. Therefore, the only income for the Church at this time was a land of rifled parcel, and the benefits for requested services. Church priests were particularly thrift, and the ordinariness of everyday life, because money for the maintenance of the temple has not been. Perhaps it was getting extra money for wedding couples whose parents did not give consent. In 1844, for the Church, the money was allocated in the amount of 150 rubles from the Treasury. But the situation of the Church has not improved, because the parishioners took the land that was brought to 100 rubles of income.

The South side parish is bordered with Christmas coming, from the North-Eastern side of the parish under the name Syas rows, and from the West – with Issacson the parish. The structure of the parish Church of the blessed virgin Mary was composed of 11 villages. The main occupations of parishioners was firewood and farming. In addition, prepared the wood floated down the river Syas in the summer and forwarded to St. Petersburg.

In 1850 the opening of the parish school, which is located in the Lodge. The school was visited by 30 people. Today the Church operates a district school. On Sundays the school is attended by up to 50 people, and on holidays the number of visitors increased to 250.