The church is named after two of Jesus' apostles Philip and James. Their name was borne by the original church, which was destroyed by the Venetians in the 12th century. In its place, the abbot Peter Zadranin erected a new church in the 14th century and dedicated it to the apostles Philip and James and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was destroyed in the 16th century during the Turkish incursions into these areas.