In its present form, the church of Saint Salvatore, built in the fifteenth century, is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Pavia; however its history is even more ancient.

The monastery was founded by king Ariperto (653-662) and soon became one of the most important royal mausoleums of the Longobards. At that time inscriptions in the church bore witness to royal burials.

The church was refurbished in the tenth century on the orders of queen Adelaide of Burgundy, the wife of Otto I the Great. At that time the monastery belonged to the reformed Cluniac order. Adelaide is remembered in the church by an altar dedicated to her and an inscription dating from 1585.