[3] The Franciscans had a longstanding presence in Morocco, in line with their early tradition of engagement with the Muslim world going back to the famed encounter between Francis of Assisi and Sultan Al-Kamil at Damietta in 1219.

[5]: 35  From the 1860s onward, Father José María Lerchundi [es] developed the Franciscan presence in Tangier, including the building of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the medina in 1880–1881.

[7]: 786  Francoist Spain aimed at regaining influence in the Tangier International Zone after the end of its military occupation in October 1945, an ambition also illustrated by the completion in 1948 of a prominent new building for the Spanish Consulate in the city.

[7]: 787  After several iterations, Feduchi settled on a streamlined modern design, with a luminous, angular nave and a soaring bell tower inspired by St Mark's Campanile in Venice.

[7]: 797  Construction started slowly from late 1950,[7]: 803  and a cornerstone laying ceremony was held on 4 June 1953; the cathedral was eventually dedicated on 8 December 1961 to the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit,[10] echoing the respective names of Lerchundi's 1880s church in the medina and of the nearby convent.