On February 21st 1552, the cornerstone was laid and the construction of the convent and the church of S. Angelo was commenced. Commissioned by the governor Ferrante Gonzaga, the church replaced the eponymous church that had been demolished as it was on the route planned for the new city walls. Domenico Giunti, creator of the project, designed a church in the shape of a Latin cross consisting of a single nave under a vaulted ceiling decorated with geometric motifs. Over the centuries the numerous chapels on the sides of the aisle were enriched by many works of art which were then lost after the suppression. Also the convent, which originally had three cloisters, each decorated with important cycles of paintings, was destroyed following the suppression: in fact, a cloister was used as a private home and two others were demolished due to their state of ruin. The current monastery was built in the last century by the architect Giovanni Muzio.
During the period of the two suppressions in the 1800s the convent of Sant'Angelo was cleared and the State assigned the rooms to the Military Tribunal, thus, the great church became a stable for horses. The complex was then redeemed in 1922.
In the leafy piazza in front of the church stands the fountain of S. Francesco talking to the birds. The monument is decorated with the verses of the Canticle of all Creatures.