Many private individuals contributed to the construction of the new church through bequests, including Ardengo Folperti—the Master of the Ducal Entrances of the Duchy of Milan—who paid for the work of the apse, as evidenced by the stone coats of arms inserted outside the structure.

[7] Giuseppe Piermarini, charged with adapting the complex to the new destination, heavily modified the church and demolished the entire right aisle, while saving the 15th-century cloister.

[8] The church's façade has a broken pediment, with a central elevation and a large gothic rose window of white marble in the center.

[9] This façade recalls that of the nearby church of Santa Maria del Carmine; similarities include the decorative terracotta crowning band and the rose window.

According to Piermarini's project[further explanation needed], the church's height was divided into two floors; this partition was maintained during restorations in the 1990s.