During a 1959 interview, Father Nicholas Perschl, O.F.M. recalled that Sil Nakya was a "beautiful little village, situated like a gem in a ring, surrounded by cactus-studded mountains."

Mission Santa Barbara may have inspired the design of the church, which Perschl built in 1920 and dedicated to St. Maurice. At that time, the exterior of the church was a yellowish-cream color; the pediment on the façade a dark pink.

The building burned in 1940 and a new church, St. Agatha, rose on the foundations and was dedicated on May 16, 1949. The bell tower was added about this time.

A 2001 photograph shows a subsequent facelift, which removed the columns that flanked the entrance to the church.