Construction of a parish church at the site was begun in the tenth century. In 1295, the church was affiliated with the Order of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel. Over the next two centuries, a monastery was built adjacent to the church with two cloisters. The monastery was rebuilt after the 15th century in a Renaissance style.[1]
After the earthquake of 1570, reconstruction of the church was entrusted to the architect Alberto Schiatti. Construction began in 1575, and the church was reconsecrated in 1611. The adjacent Carmelitan monastery was enlarged. During the Napoleonic occupation, the monastery was suppressed, and converted into a jail, for which it continued to be used till 1912. The church remained open as a parish church.
The church contains works by important Ferrarese artists[2] such as:
- Left Nave
- Right Nave
- Right Transept
- Right of Main Altar
- Presbytery
- Apse
- Frescoes on one wall of the choir date to prior to the 14th century.
