The city council prepared the church in 1388 as a civic temple, and the first stone was laid on June 7, 1390, supervised by Antonio di Vincenzo. Side chapels were built from 1393 to 1479, and Giovanni da Brensa designed the bell tower in 1481 to 1487. A dome begun in 1514 was abandoned after the first pillars. The central nave covering and apse were completed in 1663.
It is 433 feet (132 m) long, 217 feet (66 m) wide and 154 feet (47 m) tall. The article names no overall style, though it mentions Gothic elements. The facade was started in 1538 and remains unfinished.
Giovanni Domenico Cassini laid out a meridian line in the left aisle in 1655, 219 feet (66.8 m) long. The building passed from the city to the diocese in 1929 and was consecrated in 1954.
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