The origins of the church lie in the chapel established in the 1730s at the
Portuguese Embassy on 24
Golden Square. At this time, with the
English Penal Laws in force, most Roman Catholic chapels existed under the protection, and within the precincts, of foreign embassies. During this time, the most famous ambassador was the
1st Marquis de Pombal who was later the effective ruler of Portugal. Although officially for the use of the embassy officials, the chapel was used widely by the Catholic population of the city and had five chaplains - far more than needed by the ambassador and his staff. Responsibility for the chapel passed to the Bavarian embassy in 1747. The church's fixtures and fittings alongside its contents were destroyed in the
Gordon Riots in 1780. Count Haslang claimed £1,300 for the damage caused. The only structural damage caused was to the frontage. After some years in 1788, a replacement church was designed by
Joseph Bonomi the Elder, an Italian architect and draughtsman, who had moved to London in 1767 to work in the practice of
Robert and
James Adam. This church was supposed to be totally under the control of the
Vicar Apostolic of the London District, and a number of prominent Catholics subscribed to fund it.
Karl Theodor,
Elector of Bavaria, wrote: "I am most gratified, Monsieur, that my Chapel, more than any other, has helped to preserve Religion." The Electors of Bavaria continued to pay a yearly donation until 1871. Until this date, prayers continued to be said for the King of Bavaria, and the church described as the Royal Bavarian Chapel. The new church was dedicated on the feast of
St Gregory the Great 1790 after whom it is partially dedicated. This construction constitutes the main fabric of the present church.
John Francis Bentley designed a new church. However, only part of this was carried out but is now visible in the Marian side altar which is his first ever work in mosaic of the human figure, and the sanctuary with the Coronation of the Virgin Mary in an apse based on that of an early Roman basilica. During the
abdication crisis of 1936,
Queen Mary prayed before the statue of Our Lady of Warwick street - a life size copy of
Our Lady from the Rue du Bac - and sent a bouquet of flowers every week until her death. The church has attracted many prominent Catholic worshippers.
Queen Maria II da Gloria had a requiem Mass said in 1853, which was pictured in the
Illustrated London News. Amongst many other famous Catholics was
Mrs Fitzherbert, who was sacramentally, but not civilly married to
George IV, and the young
Cardinal Newman. For six years, these "Soho masses" offered twice-monthly services “particularly welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Catholics, their parents, friends and families”. In 2013, under pressure from the Vatican, they were forced to move to the
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street in nearby
Mayfair; Archbishop
Vincent Nichols attended their first Mass there in 2013. Following this move, the church was entrusted to the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham during Lent 2013. Since this point, Msgr
Keith Newton has resided at the presbytery and the church has reinstated its choral tradition with a range of music from early 20th century Anglican music to
Mozart. The church acts as the central church of the Ordinariate. ==Exterior==