The church is one of the tallest and most original achievements of Baroque religious architecture in Lucca, unique for the solution of the facade, placed at an angle, and for its structure, built on an oval plan. It was built, radically modifying a previous structure, between 1738 and 1748, by Francesco Pini. The designs for the lavish interior decoration are perhaps by Silvestro Giannotti. The two statues depicting Charity and Purity are attributed to Giovanni Lazzoni and Giovanni Antonio Cybei, while the wall paintings and the illusionistic decoration of the dome are by Bartolomeo de Santi. A large oval canvas with The Ecstasy of Saint Catherine by Pompeo Batoni was placed on the high altar, now preserved in the Museo di Palazzo Mansi.