The premises of the church and the former Convent of Carmel (second half of the 17th century-first quarter of the 18th) present a controversial construction history divided into three phases, the first of which dates back to 1637. The different moments, protracted for more than a century, also invested from the very beginning some of the rooms of the church, which was originally supposed to be a chapel attached to the building body of the Convent of the same name. Documents dating back to 1646 speak of an expansion, but it is likely that work did not begin until the last quarter of the 17th century, when property disputes related to the Order were settled. As a result of these expansion works, the Church of Carmel was located in the center of the convent complex, which was further expanded in 1751 and underwent remodeling after the appropriation of the property of the Conventual Orders by the Sardinian Piedmontese Kingdom in 1850. The premises did not undergo serious structural changes and retained full architectural dignity, as noted by the architect in charge De la Riva Velasco. Having ceased its sacred functions, the new look of the former Convent is the result of a careful study of the needs of the current exhibition functions, related to the preservation, enhancement and promotion of twentieth-century and contemporary art, as required by the regional law on the reorganization of cultural heritage.
