According to some historical documents, the original foundation of this church, built close to the banks of the River Tiber, dates back to the year 1000, and was carried out by a small order of friars.
Barbarian raids on Rome led to the demolition of the original modest structure, and it was only in 1177 that the Celestine Friars (a branch of the Benedictine family) who had a devotion to St George in Alga (literally ‘St George in the seaweed – a reference to an island in the Venetian lagoon), managed to reconstruct and expand the church which remained in their possession for around 200 years.
After the suppression of the Order, the ownership of San Salvatore in Lauro was transferred to the Piceni Sodality who instituted here devotion to Our Lady of Loreto.
