The construction of the church and its associated convent began in 1258 and lasted for more than fifty years. Other renovations and reconstructions were carried out in the following centuries. The church had a major fire in 1747. The interior, after the fire was redesigned by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century, has maintained the large high altars in polychrome marble from the 16th and 17th centuries. The stucco statues in the nave and in the transept date from the Vanvitelli renovation. The portico was constructed by Agostino Fantastici.