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The history of the papacy and of the city of Rome - during Francesco della Rovere's reign as Sixtus IVV (1471-84) is one of expanding power, expressed in increasingly monumental artistic commissions. One of his first projects as pope was the complete rebuilding of the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. The architect was the Florentine-trained Baccio Pontelli. For the façade Pontelli echoed the recently completed façade of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, although in this case using travertine rather than the typically Florentine geometric marble revetment. The temple form of the upper story is echoed in the pediments of the doors The lower part of the facad extends the width of the building.
Pontelli also designed a grand interior space, now transformed by later remodeling.
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