 Although the church is some way inland today, this is a result of land reclamation, and it once lay on the shore – indeed, the church used to have iron rings set into the wall to tie up boats.The site of the church would have been the closest accessible location on dry land to the site of Helier's martyrdom.It is believed that a chapel was erected on the site of the present building very shortly after Helier's death, but the present church was begun in the 11th century.