It was erected by the nobleman Francesco Martinozzi in 1564, when he was granted permission to tear down the old church of San Maurizio. Evident traces of the demolished church still remain on the outer wall bordering along Via Arco d’Augusto on the northern side of the building. In fact, here the building does not appear to have been erected ex novo but using part of the existing masonry, plugging its openings and preserving embedded an interesting Romanesque stone cross. Bordering the rear northeast corner, the lower area of an old medieval tower house survives. A pure and simple hypothesis is the attribution of the design of the beautiful facade to Jacopo Sansovino: a facade that only in 1937 was able to emerge in all its severe monumentality following the opening of the Avveduti Square. On the sides stand the strong vertical bands of the two ashlar edges, joined in the middle by the well-highlighted string-course band, horizontally stretched to divide the lower from the upper area.
The center of the lower area is dominated by the beautiful portal, characterized by the exquisitely Renaissance motif of diamond-pointed framing and narrow fluted pilasters. All is made of sandstone: from the framings of the nine large windows with triangular, arched gables, to the five characteristic octagonal-opening windows in the attic.
Through the bare barrel-vaulted hallway, the visitor enters the portico that characterizes the entrance side of the cosy courtyard with two cruciform pillars supporting the arches of the three cross-ribbed bays. Everything else appears to have been unfortunately renewed as a result of the damage done to the building by the 1944 bombing. In the interiors, only a part of those in the front area preserve the original pavilion or cross vaults and beautiful stone doorways. Well-preserved are the underground rooms, characterized by sturdy brick vaults and with separate access from via Arco d’Augusto. The inscription on the facade recalls that part of the noble Martinozzi family was Laura (daughter of Count Girolamo and Margherita Mazzarino sister of the famous cardinal) who, having married Duke Alfonso d ‘Este in 1655, gave birth to Beatrice, consort of James II Stuart king of England.
