From these discoveries, it was concluded that a Christian named Filumena (Philomena) was buried in the tomb and the vessel containing blood was thought to be her relic, an evidence of a martyr's death.

A church at the same location was built in the year 1843 during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and the Commission Rule.

An inscription which was there at the time of laying the foundation of the present church in 1933 states: "In the name of that only God – the universal Lord who creates, protects, and reigns over the universe of Light, the mundane world and the assemblage of all created lives – this church is built 1843 years after the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Enlightenment of the World, as man".

In 1926, T. Thumboo Chetty, private secretary to Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, obtained a relic of the saint from Peter Pisani, the apostolic delegate of the East Indies.

[6] This relic was handed over to Father Cochet, who approached the maharaja in assisting him construct a church in honour of St.

In his speech on the day of the inauguration, he said: "The new church will be strongly and securely built upon a double foundation — Divine compassion and the eager gratitude of men.