Tradition has it that this was built when the statue of the Madonna was discovered in the sea after the infields had tried unsuccessfully to carry it off during the Turkish raids of the mid-sixteenth century. The church was built prior to 1418, as evidenced by a written on the fresco above the altar. The church is documented especially from 1583 onwards, when there was an order of brothers here. Records of the apostolic visit of 1612 refer to the church as 'recently built', with a confessional and a burial ground for sailors. It has two doors and a bell tower above. It has been established that the sacristy and an oil panting date from 1742, and records state that the church was built with contributions from seafarers.By 1875, in addition to the bell tower with its two bells, the organ, the pulpit and the clock, there was a marble sanctuary with a brass gate and altar rails, as well as a framed statue. In 1905, a wooden statue and a third door had been added. A few years later, in 1913, this church and others were closed, when they were occupies by soldiers sheltering from torrential rain.
The Temple of Edfu is one of the best preserved ancient shrines in Egypt. It was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC.
Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom, including the Dendera Temple complex, Esna, the Temple of Kom Ombo, and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels. The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east–west rather than north–south as in the present site.