This church's origins date back as far as the 6th century. After the Islamic conquest of Sicily, it was converted into a mosque. Then, after the establishment of the Norman domination of southern Italy, it was returned to the Christians by Roger II of Sicily who, around 1136, entrusted it to the Benedictine monks of Saint William of Vercelli. The church was extensively modified during the following centuries. A restoration in around 1880 attempted to restore its original medieval appearance.