Finance for the church's establishment was provided by the Pontificia Commissione centrale per l'arte sacra in Italia ('Pontifical Commission for Sacred Art in Italy') and the Ministry of Public Works.

An existing small church, Santa Maria Assunta, could no longer accommodate the growing number of parishioners, especially when the resort's population surged in the summer.

The planners were the engineers Michelangelo Mangiapane and Giuseppe Di Natale; the interior works were designed by architect Vincenzo Settipani.

[2] The restored façade has a trifold entrance which is surmounted by a mosaic representing Stella Maris, Our Lady, Star of the Sea, shown amidst angels.

A blue and white eight-pointed star, a stella maris symbol, with wave emblems beneath, form the reredos, or altarpiece, at the back of the sanctuary.