The site was once a fourth century Roman imperial mausoleum of Maximian, that may also have held the burials of the emperors Gratian and Valentinian II, though they were more likely buried in another mausoleum, now the Chapel of Saint Aquilinus in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence.

[1] The basilica was enlarged in the 8th century to house the relics of the saints Vittore and Satiro.

Reconstruction of the church was begun in 1533 by Vincenzo Seregni, and completed in 1568 by Pellegrino Tibaldi.

The dome was frescoed in 1617 by Guglielmo Caccia (called "il Moncalvo").

The monastery now houses a museum of science, the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci.