Built on the levelled peak of a hill in the 16th century, on a site formerly occupied first by a castle and later by a mosque, it consists of three naves, the central one featuring Mudêjar panelling to which a defensive bell tower, also Mudêjar in style, was added. The highlight of the exterior is the square tower which some experts believe may have incorporated the old tower of the aforementioned fortress.

After the fall of Mijas in Castilian hands, the former inhabitants were expelled. The repopulation of the town was slow and the settlement of new inhabitants did not work until the first quarter of the sixteenth century. The construction of the new religious building began between 1540 and 1565, at the initiative of Bishop Bernardo Manrique on the ruins of a mosque and a castle. On the of 1st September 1631 the building was consecrated to Catholic worship.