The 16th-century church dedicated to St Mary Major had a variety of uses until the late 19th century, when it was in a state of neglect. The State Monopolies Administration then decided to designate it as the Tobacco Warehouse, and so modifications were made to the internal layout. Later, in the late 1960s, the Superintendency carried out a restoration by removing the 19th-century superstructures. The nave was decorated with 18th-century frescoes such as 'The Exaltation of the Cross', 'The Souls in Purgatory' and 'Our Lady in Glory with St Francis.' During the restoration, the paintings were torn off to preserve the degraded support.
