In 1592, the Confraternita del Suffragio ("Fraternity of those who succor the suffering") was a purgatorial society established adjacent to the church of Saint Biagio della Pagnotta; their goal was to pray for the spirits of the dead and dying.

In 1620, it was elevated to Arciconfraternita by Pope Paul V. Having outgrown their premises, the group acquired in 1607, part of an unfinished site that originally had been destined to be the Bramante-designed Palace of the Courts.

In 1662, the architect Carlo Rainaldi designed the church, which was completed by 1669, with interior decorations continuing till 1685.

The frescoes with the Eternal Father in Gloria and the Assumption in the choir are by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi.

Media related to Santa Maria del Suffragio (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons