This church, gazetted as a national monument in January 2005, was the first Catholic church to serve Singapore's national community. Prior to 1870, Indian Catholics worshipped at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. In 1870, Indian Catholics moved to worship together with Chinese Catholics at the Church of St Peter and St Paul.
In 1885, the Straits Settlements government granted a site at Ophir Road for the construction of a Catholic church. In August of the following year, the foundation stone was laid and work began on the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. This building was designed and built by architectural firm Swan and Maclauren in the non-Gothic style, similar to the Basilica at Lourdes, France (which had been erected to commemorate the Apparition of Mary there). The church's pointed arches, spires, flying buttresses and 16 slender pillars were imported from France.
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was completed in 1888, together with a vicarage and a school. For approximately s century, the church was designated principally for use by Indian Catholics. In 1974, the Church became a ‘territorial' church, catering to all Catholics regardless of ethnicity. However, it has retained a large Indian membership, and still offers a weekly Tamil mass.