At the beginning of the 18th century, the Roman Catholic community of Gherla was served by Franciscan mendicant priests who travelled from Dej to perform religious services. Then, in 1748, construction began on the new church on land donated to the Catholic-Franciscan parishioners by the then mayor, Daniel Todor. The construction was completed, consecrated and put into use in 1758. In the following years, the Maria de Loretto Chapel was built (in 1760) and the east wing of the cloister was erected (1766). In the following year, the two stone altars were built in the Baroque style and placed on either side of the nave, dedicated to Saint Anthony and Saint Francis. The church’s patron saint is St Peter of Alcantara, the church is traditionally oriented west-east (with the altar facing east), and it is part of the architectural ensemble of the cloister of the Franciscan monastery.

This space is of particular cultural and historical importance, as it is a typical example of 18th century Baroque architecture in Transylvania. New rehabilitation works took place in 2018-2022, and this project is considered to be the most complex, nation-wide, in recent years. As a place of worship with a particularly strong spiritual value, the Church and cloister of the Franciscan Monastery in Gherla is a stop on the pilgrimage route of the Way of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Via Mariae), whose main axis links the Marian sanctuaries of Mariazell (Austria) and Șumuleu-Ciuc (Romania) and the itineraries to the famous Nicula Monastery.