The building, to the north of the
Ospedale di Santo Spirito, was built by the behest of
Pope Pius VI (r. 1775–1799) to increase the capacity of the Santo Spirito, which had become insufficient due to the growing Roman population. The project was designed by the
neoclassical architect
Francesco Belli, pupil of
Giovanni Antinori, who partly reused an existing building. The total cost of the construction amounted to 300,000
scudi, a huge sum for that time. It was destined to host those sick with
malaria. The building gave its name to ''Via dell'Ospedale'', a road which still exists today and which marked its western limit. ==Architecture==