The idea of building a Catholic church on the summit of the Mount Tibidabo emerged in the late 19th century amidst rumors about the construction of a Protestant church and a hotel-casino at that location.
In 1886 a neo-Gothic hermitage was built, and two years later, for the Universal Exposition, the Vallvidrera road was urbanized and a pavilion of Mudejar inspiration was built beside the hermitage to serve as a viewing point (for the city below).