In 1773, salt merchants in Tianjin financed a construction of a 3-storey structure on this site, which was used as a temporary residence by the Emperor.
In 1862, French missionary priest Jean-Joseph-Léon Talmier [zh], through negotiations between the French consulate in Tianjin and Qing minister Chonghou, obtained a portion of land in Tianjin that included this site.
In 1869, the old construction was demolished and a church was built in its place dedicated to Our Lady of Victory.
In 1900, the church was destroyed a second time when the Boxers arrived in Tianjin and attacked foreigners as well as Chinese Catholics.
In 1903, the church was rebuilt again using reparations funds from the Qing government.