The Confraternita della Pietà (Confraternity of mercy) was established in Savigliano in 1445 with the aim of bringing comfort and help to the poor and needy. The original building was located in a different place from today, in the church that was called Santa Maria del Pianto in the neighbourhood of the Pieve in the “Malborgatto” area. It was completely destroyed in 1640 and the brotherhood was forced to find a new home so the Arciconfraternita della Pietà was created in piazza Cesare Battisti. First the members restored a small existing chapel dedicated to St. Anthony, then commissioned a project for a completely new Church. Built between 1707 and 1722 to designs by Gian Giacomo Plantery, it has a central nave with a 22 metre high dome and stunning interior decoration. The bell tower was added later around 1825. The external facade has two storeys and four columns, above the entrance is the fresco “il Trionfo della Croce” (Triumph of the Cross) created in 1880 by Luigi Molineris.
The vertical structure and corner position of the church are probably due to limits imposed by the restricted space available at the time of construction, since opposite there was the Champeaux building which was knocked down in 1838 to create the piazza we see today.