Attard became a parish in 1575, breaking off from Birkirkara to which it had previously been connected ecclesiastically, and by 1579 it had its first parish priest.

The design of this parish church, regarded as an architectural and artistic gem, which has been left largely untouched, has been commonly and rightfully attributed to the talented master-craftsman Tumas Dingli.

However, it may also be indebted to the inspiration of an elder master, Vittorio Cassar, son of the famous architect Girolamo Cassar. The present parish church, dedicated to Maria Assunta, was completed in the first quarter of the 17th century. Similar to Renaissance architecture, experts in the field describe the church as being one of the fewest and finest examples that depict this type of architecture in Malta, a style which never really established itself across the island.

Hugh Braun who had developed an inventory of damaged buildings post World War II in 1946 had commented that this church, by one of Malta’s best architects, was probably Dingli’s most successful effort. This church was left undamaged by the war.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority scheduled the parish church as a Grade 1 monument on August 26 as per Government Notice 782.