Initially a church dedicated to Saints Eleuterio and Ginnasi Martyrs was located here. In ruinous state, it was granted by Pope Gregory XIII to the 'Archconfraternity of the Pietà verso il carcerati, led by the Jesuit Giovanni Talier. The lay organization made outreach to prisoners, including galley prisoners. Pope Sixtus V granted them the right to pardon one prisoner under the death sentence. In 1624, the church was refurbished under the designs of Angelo Torroni. The main altarpiece depicts St John the Baptist by Baldassare Croce; a Pieta by Luigi Garzi; and a Martyrdom of St Eleuterio by Giacomo Zoboli.
