Our Lady of Victory was built as a parish church in 1608 by Dom Constantino Barradas, the fourth Bishop of Bahia, during the pontificate of Pope Paul V. It bears the crest of Philip IV of Spain as Brazil was a colony within the Iberian Union (1580-1640). The church was eventually elevated to an Episcopal See. It was heavily damaged during the eight years of Dutch rule in São Cristóvão, from 1637 to 1645; the city served alternately as a base for Portuguese guerillas and as a seat of power for the Dutch.[1][2]