The Our Lady of Snows (Nuestra Señora de las Nieves) and Saint Joseph, husband of Mary served as the town's secondary patrons.

Cavinti was part of the ecclesiastical administration of the town of Lumbang until 1619 with Alonso de Ampudia as parish priest.

The church was built at an unusual location that had been revealed to two men known as the Puhawan brothers.

This legend says that these two brothers were searching for something to eat when they discovered an image of El Salvador at this spot in the early 1600s.

The first stone church and convent were built in 1621 under the supervision of Pedro de San Martin, but it was severely damaged during the 1639 Chinese uprising.