The original church was built in the 5th century, on the ruins of the Pretorium which tradition holds was the prison that held the martyred Sant'Alessandro. The name in Zebedia derives from the name of the prison in which the martyr was imprisoned. Its construction for the
Barnabite order began in 1601 to a design by
Lorenzo Binago.
Francesco Maria Richini also contributed to the project. The first church of Sant Alessandro was demolished, along with the nearby San Pancrazio. The first stone of the church was laid on 30 March 1602 by Cardinal
Federico Borromeo. The
façade, with decorations in
bas-relief, has two
campaniles. ==See also==