The church was originally planned by Pope Pius IX, the land being bought by him along the via di Porta San Lorenzo, now via Marsala.

Conte Vespignani (1842–1899) was the Architetto dei Sacri Palazzi of Leo XIII,[2] and also built the College of Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine Hill.

With the pope's permission, Bosco bought an additional 0.55 ha (1.4 acres) of land to construct a boarding school for poor boys, and also a two floor building at the corner of via di Porta San Lorenzo and via Marghera that would serve as a residence for the Salesians.

Bosco managed to collect the funds necessary for the construction of the church by appealing to the Catholic world and by making personal journeys to France and to Spain, despite failing health.

[3] The campanile (bell tower) was planned by Vespignani, but remained incomplete until 1931, when the imposing statue of the Sacred Heart, donated by Salesian past pupils in Argentina, was placed on it.