Today, it is difficult to recognize as a place of worship due to its inclusion in a block of terraced houses on the west side of Piazza dei Cavalieri, but the church of San Rocco (dedicated to the patron saint of plague victims) boasts a prestigious past.
Dating back to medieval times, it maintained its independence until the late 16th century when it came under the control of the Compagnia di San Rocco (1578), whose coat of arms stands above its wooden door, when renovation work was undertaken to give it its current appearance.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the architect Cosimo Pugliani incorporated the façade into a small palace that matched the adjacent buildings, such as the Collegio Puteano.
The small oratory belongs to the nearby Church of San Sisto, to which it is directly connected. The two floors above, whose regularly spaced windows confirm the continuity with the adjacent buildings, are now used by the Scuola Normale Superiore, which houses its guest quarters in the Collegio Puteano, while the rooms above the oratory are home to the Ennio de Giorgi Mathematical Research Center.