 Because the old church building was no longer considered sufficient for the needs of the parish, in 1850 Sultan Abdülmecid I granted the order permission to demolish the old church and build a new one in its place, under the condition that the new church be no larger than the old one.Official support for the construction of the church was provided by Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I during his visit to Jerusalem in 1869.Originally, Franz Joseph I made his contribution on the condition that the church would be built according to the plans of his own architect.