In 1246, the dominican friar Pedro González, later known as Saint Telmo, was preaching in the city and diocese. His lodgings, which were also his place of death, were converted in to a place of worship and prayer. The humble medieval dwelling was renovated in 1767 under the direction of bishop Juan Manuel Rodriguez Castañón who chose the franciscan teacher Friar Mateo de Jesus to design the new temple. The building work was completed in 1803, with the building incorporating a crypt to preserve the ruins of the old dwelling and place of death of Saint Telmo.