In the 16th century, a hermitage was constructed to shelter an image brought from Mexico by Domingos Pires da Covilhã, one of the early settlers in the area.

[1] As a consequence of the 1717 volcanic earthquake event, which destroyed much of the parish, the construction of the church was delayed, with worked resuming on the main nave around September 1754.

[1] The seismic crisis resulted in the popular decision to hold an annual Procissão dos abalos (Procession of the Concussion/Aftershocks), with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe moved between the parochial church and mount overlooking the village of Santa Cruz.

[1] The church is located in the middle of the settlement, implanted in the heart of the Courelas plain, a zone of fertile lands on the island.

The temple includes an organ constructed by Portuguese artist José Leandros da Cunha, and dates from 1775, being the second oldest in the archipelago.