On 11 June 1702, a deed was signed for the construction of the chapel that would become this church, by Manuel de Moura and his wife Inês Pereira, under the invocation of
Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho. It would be several years before the Bishop of Angra, D. António Caetano Rocha, would authorize the establishment of a
curate for the religious community. This curate, founded on 2 December 1766, would become the third for the parochial church, which would have an important benefit for the peoples and parishioners that lived in the plateau of central Santa Maria. Sometime during the 19th century, the chapel was adapted and expanded, transforming itself into a major church. Around the same time, specifically 12 May 1859, work began on lands donated by João Severino Gago da Câmara. The first mass at the re-consecrated church occurred on 27 November 1859. On 25 October 1906, a formal decree separated the curate of Almagreira from those of the neighboring parish of
Nossa Senhora de Assunção (in Vila do Porto), resulting in the independence of the ecclesiastical parish. In 2005, public works to restore the church were undertaken, with European community funds estimated at 70,000 Euros. Two years later the image of the patron saint also benefited from work intended to clean and conserve the statue. ==Architecture==