The first temple was built in 1775; around the small church, a township evolved. In 1828, the priest Juan Francisco Larrobla blessed here the first Flag of Uruguay.[1]
The current building was completed in 1843, and it was expanded later.[2] Since 1900 it has a mechanical organ. It is dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, which was also the original denomination of the city, Villa Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.[3]
In 1945, Cardinal Antonio Barbieri elevated the church to National Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe.[1]
Juan José Villegas Mañé. Historia de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Canelones, 1775-1977, en La Iglesia en el Uruguay. Estudios históricos, Cuadernos del ITU, Nº 4, Instituto Teológico del Uruguay, Montevideo, 1978.