The Original Building Of The Current Cathedral Was Built During The Spanish Period. Just After The Conquest Of The City To The Moors, The Main Mosque Was Decreed To Be Stripped Of Its Islamic Past And Consecrated As A Parish Church, Named Santa Maria La Coronada y San Bernardo.

However, Under The Rule Of The Catholic Monarchs, The Old Building Was Demolished And A New Church Was Erected, In Gothic Style. The Cathedral's Small Courtyard Is The Remnant Of The Larger Moorish Court Of The Mosque.

The Church Of St. Mary The Crowned Was The Only Catholic Church Or Institution That Was Not Profaned By The Troops That Took Over The City In 1704. It Was Successfully Protected By Its Staunch Pastor, Juan Romero, His Curate, And His Bell - Ringer. Thus, It Is The Only Place Where Catholic Worship Has Been Taking Place Uninterruptedly From The Definite Christian Reconquest Of The Town.

Until The Nineteenth Century, Anyone Who Died In Gibraltar Had The Right To Be Buried Under The Cathedral Floor. The First Apostolic Vicars And Bishops Are Found Buried Beside The Presbytery, While Bishops Edward Rapallo († 1984), Charles Caruana († 2010), And Bernard Patrick Devlin († 2010), Are Buried In A Crypt Beneath The Statue Of Our Lady Of Europe.

In 1943, Władysław Sikorski's Coffin Lay In State Inside The Cathedral, After His Plane Crashed Into The Sea Just Off Gibraltar.