A group of Dominican tertiary nuns, living in a small house in via Santa Chiara where St. Catherine had died, were looking for larger premises. Lead by Porzia Massimo whose late husband was a Conti, from 1574 they successively acquired parts of properties belonging to the Conti family at Magnanapoli to establish their convent there, financially assisted by Pope Gregory XIII. The originally small community thrived and quickly expanded from 27 nuns in 1574 to 108 in 1626, many of whom from important noble families.