The Missionary Church perched on a high hill, together with the nearby Church of the Visitation, towers over the southern part of Vilnius. Its characteristic silhouette is part of the so-called Vilnius Baroque school.

The missionaries, who were in charge of the formation of the clergy, were brought to Vilnius in 1687 thanks to the commitment of Bishop Kazimir Konstantin Brzostowski. He also took care of another French congregation, the Visitation Nuns, which he established in the city in 1694 and which he supported in the construction of a church. The two churches of the Visitation Nuns (of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) and the Missionaries (of the Ascension) are located next door, on one of the hills of the Suboča suburb. The churches became the dominant feature of the southern part of the city, and the hill on which they were built was henceforth called "Mons Salvatoris" (Mountain of the Saviour).

The Missionaries were an order founded in 1625 in Paris by St Vincent a Paulo. The nucleus of their Vilnius monastery was the former Sanguszko Palace, which the monks received in 1687 from Catherine Radziwiłł (1634-1694), sister of John III. In the first years, the building was converted into a chapel and house for the monks. However, this was a temporary solution. The monks managed to attract further wealthy founders. In 1696, thanks to the funds of the Plater family, who had been converted to Catholicism: the Livonian voivode Jan Andrzej (1626-1696) and the Livonian voivode Jan Teofil (ca. 1627-1697) and his wife Alexandra, a temple began to be built on the south-west side of the monastery. In the following decades, i.e. between 1739 and 1751, the monastery was extended; then the temple facade was erected (1753-1757), which was framed by two wings of the rectory buildings with a mansard roof. Once again the Plater family were benefactors of the monks. The entire church and monastery buildings took on an extremely picturesque shape, but the authorship of the individual elements is uncertain. Researchers are still not unanimous on this point.

The church was built on a very original plan. Although rectangular in outline, the nave is wider than it is longer. There is also an alternating rhythm of wider and narrower bays. The nave is flanked by reduced side aisles into which open chapels covered by the same roof as the nave. With such an interior, the façade also remains original, with a porch like domed chapel. Its slender towers reach up to 48 metres. Rococo gables also crown the presbytery façade. The walls are decorated with roccaille, which can be seen in the capitals, pediments and balustrades. Openwork metal elements also add to the charm of the building.

After the Second World War, the monastery and church were closed. Between 1973 and 1974, the monastery was converted into a hospital and the church into a museum storehouse. The interior decayed. Today, the buildings belong to the Vilnius Archdiocese. They are being restored and adapted to their new purpose.