[1][2] The church was originally built by French missionary Li Sicong (李思聪; 1864–1930) in 1894, during the reign of Guangxu Emperor (1875–1908) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

[1] After the founding of the Communist State in 1949, it was taken as property of the People's Liberation Army and then as class rooms of Yucai School (育才小学).

During the Cultural Revolution, the church was slightly damaged by the Red Guards.

After the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the national policy of free religious belief, the church was officially reopened to the public in 1987.

[1] In 2010, Anthony Xu Jiwei was ordained at the cathedral as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Linhai, with the approval of the Holy See.