Sometimes it is confused with another one, no longer extant, called Memoria Sancti Hippoliti, already mentioned in 4th century, whose title was joined to the current one.

The church is mentioned for the first time in a document preserved in the Archive of Santa Maria Maggiore and dated May 28, 1348; in 13th and 14th century it was inhabited by Benedictine monks and nuns.

In 1624, Pope Urban VIII had enlargement works carried out by the architect Domenico Castelli, called il Fontanino, a nephew of Carlo Maderno.

The most attractive part of the visit to the church is the descent into the underground environments - which are accessed through a long and narrow staircase - housing the ancient prison of St. Lawrence and the source of water with which Lucillus was baptized.

The arch, which divides the first section of the corridor from the former Roman part, shows a bas-relief depicting Christ rising from the tomb, dating back to the 16th century.