Marfino has been known since the 16th century. It originally belonged to the Golovins, then was sold to "dyak" Semyon Zaborovsky in 1650, and in 1698, Boris Golitsyn, a mentor of the future Emperor Peter the Great, bought the estate. The earliest surviving buildings in Marfino originate from the Golitsyn's period, between 1698 and 1714. Golitsyn also was the one to rename the village Marfino, after his wife Marfa. The son of Golitsyn sold the estate in 1729 to Count Pyotr Saltykov. Much of the existing ensemble of the estate, which includes buildings and a park, was designed during the period when the Saltykovs owned the estate. They also turned the estate into a cultural center and organized stage and music performances which attracted visitors from Moscow. In 1805, the estate owner died and the estate started to decay. In 1812, during the French invasion of Russia, it was looted by the French army. Subsequently, it was restored and changed hands several times. In the 1840s, the house was rebuilt as a medieval Gothic castle by the architect Mikhail Bykovsky.