The origins of the basilica can be traced to the early decades of the 17th century, when Jesuit missionaries began spreading Christianity through the Madurai Mission.

The many Jesuit missionaries who worked in the Madurai Mission included Robert de Nobili and Constanzo Beschi.

The church of the Most Holy Redeemer was consecrated on 29 June 1881 by the Vicar Apostolic of Pondicherry, Msgr.

The devotion has continued till the present as hundreds of devotees, Christian and non-Christian, gather to pray on Wednesdays.

Pope Benedict XVI raised the church of the Most Holy Redeemer to the dignity of a minor basilica on 12 October 2006.