The first church for the parish of Dulce Nombre de Jesús was a simple structure built in 1769. A second church was built from 1825–1826. It was in a ruinous state by 1860 and the present church was built between 1868–1877. It was designed by Don Evaristo de Churruca in the Gothic Revival style. The bell tower collapsed as the result of an earthquake in 1918. The church was repaired in 1928 and another renovation took place in the 1980s. Dulce Nombre de Jesύs became a cathedral church when Pope Benedict XVI established the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao on March 11, 2008. The church was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984, using the name style "Church Dulce Nombre de Jesús of Humacao".