This is part of a set of plans entered by William Burges for the Crimean Memorial Church in Constantinople international design competition. Applicants were asked to design in the ecclesiastical pointed or gothic style of Western Europe, consider the city's warm climate and susceptibility to earthquakes, and keep within a budget of £20,000. In preparation for his design entries, Burges traveled to Northern Italy to find Gothic precedents for the church's style. He credited the Church of San Andrea at Vercilli, specifically, as the greatest influence on his entry. While generally French and Italian Gothic in style and plan, Burges' entry exhibited Eastern Constantinoplan influences in its structure and materials. As opposed to massively thick walls and buttresses, he used lightweight concrete on the insides of walls in conjunction with a system of tie rods and chains to address the earthquake concern. After winning the competition in 1856, Burges was asked to make several modifications to make it smaller, cheaper, and more French. When he refused to make any more alterations in 1863, G.E. Street, who came in second in the original design competition for the church, was asked to draw up all new plans in 1866. Completed in 1868, the church's final built state was constructed according to Street's designs.