The first church was built between 1798 and 1803. The building suffered some serious damage as a result of a strong earthquake on 21 November 1877. In 1880 the architect Francisco Martínez was employed to repair the cathedral, partially reconstructing it while maintaining the baroque style. On 26 December 1915 another strong earthquake caused damage to the cathedral, the repairing of which in 1916 coincided with the founding of the Diocese of Santa Rosa d Copán.