The temple was begun in 141 by the Emperor Antoninus Pius and was initially dedicated to his deceased and deified wife, Faustina the Elder. When Antoninus Pius was deified after his death in 161, the temple was re-dedicated jointly to Antoninus and Faustina at the instigation of his successor, Marcus Aurelius. The temple was converted to a Roman Catholic church, known as San Lorenzo in Miranda, perhaps as early as the seventh century, but it is only attested from the eleventh century (in Mirabilia Urbis Romae). The side chapels removed, in 1536, in order to restore the ancient temple for the Roman visit of Emperor Charles V. The church, now constrained within the cella of the temple, was remodeled in 1602 by Orazio Torriani.