A chapel has stood on this spot since the late middle Ages. Then as now it was dedicated to Saint Margaret, a virgin martyr from Anthioch in Pisidia, in modern Turkey.

St Margaret was the daughter of a pagan priest at Antioch in Pisidia. Also known as Marina, she was converted to Christianity, whereupon she was driven from home by her father. She became a shepherdess and when she spurned the advances of Olybrius, the prefect, who was infatuated with her beauty, he charged her with being a Christian. He had her tortured and then imprisoned, and while she was in prison she had an encounter with the devil in the form of a dragon. She is patroness of childbirth. The next day, attempts were made to execute her by fire and then by drowning, but she was miraculously saved and converted thousands of spectators witnessing her ordeal-all of whom were promptly executed. Finally, she was beheaded. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and hers was one of the voices heard by Joan of Arc. Her feast day is July 20th.

The chapel was certainly functioning in 1575, when it even had a small bell tower and a graveyard in front. It stood ravages of time and on the 29th April 1688 it was designated the parish church for the people of Sannat and Munxar. A larger and better church was build next to the ancient chapel by 1718. Slowly but surely, the parishioners did a lot to embellish their church, eventually consecrated on 19th October, 1755. It was further enlarged in the 1860’s and blessed again in 1868. Two bell towers were built some years later and the majestic dome was raised in 1910. A statue of Saint Margaret was first brought to Sannat in 1863 and the present beautiful statue reached the village in 1891. On 19th December 1893 the parish priest was given the title of Archpriest. On the 12th December 1957, the parish became “matrice” with the dismemberment of the parish of Munxar.