The rich bas-reliefs of the frieze under the cornice, featuring griffins, acanthus scrolls, and candelabra, were often copied from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries.

Based on numismatic evidence, the temple was originally fenced off from the Via Sacra and a large, seated statue of Faustina would have been inside of the cella.

[5] In 1429 or 1430, Pope Martin V gave the church to the Collegio degli Speziali (Guild of Apothecaries), at the time officially denominated the "Universitas Aromatorium".

In 1536, the church was partially demolished and the side chapels removed in order to restore the ancient temple for the visit to Rome of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.[7] The church, now constrained within the cella of the temple, was remodelled in 1602 by Orazio Torriani, creating a single nave and three new side chapels.

The main altar has a reredos canvas by Pietro da Cortona of the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence (1646), while the first chapel on the left hosts the Madonna and Child with Saints (1626) by Domenichino.