[1] The Classical-style building, which was funded by Maria Fitzherbert and completed in 1835, has been listed at Grade II* by English Heritage for its architectural and historical importance.

[2] Brighton's Roman Catholic community at the time of the Relief Act was small, but two factors caused it to grow in the 1790s.

Many refugees from the French Revolution settled in Brighton after escaping from France; and Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Catholic, began a relationship with the Prince Regent (and secretly married him in 1785 in a ceremony which was illegal according to the Act of Settlement 1701 and the Royal Marriages Act 1772).

[2] In 1805 the priest in charge, a French émigré, started to raise money for a permanent building; a site on High Street, east of the Royal Pavilion and Old Steine, was found, and the Classical-style church was completed in 1807.

A piece of undeveloped land on the estate of the Marquess of Bristol was bought for £1,050, and William Hallett, later a mayor of Brighton, designed and built the new church of St John the Baptist.

A memorial stone and sculpture, showing her wearing three wedding rings, were placed in the nave.

More changes were made in 1887, with several new interior fittings added, although a major remodelling and redesign proposed during the same year was not carried out.

[4][7] St John the Baptist Catholic School moved away from its original site next to the church in 1989, when a new building was provided on Whitehawk Hill.

[13] The church holds Masses on Saturday evenings, Sunday mornings and Holy Days of Obligation.