San Lorenzo appears in documents since 1059; the bishop of Reggio Emila assigned it to marquis Boniface, the father of Matilda of Tuscany.
It stood on the road to Pieve di Coriano, where recent excavations discovered the remains of two other churches: one of VII century and one of XI century. As the baptismal font attests, it was also a parish.

They destroyed in 1752, leaving only its small oratory. Bishop Antonio di Bagno let build the new parish church in 1751-1754, in front of the episcopal villa, where Mantuan bishops were used to go on holiday.
They put there also two column-bearing lions by Pier Paolo and Jacobello dalle Masegne, from the former XV century façade of Mantua cathedral; behind the altar a canvas by Francesco Maria Ranieri, called Schivenoglia, depicts St. Anselm blessing Matilda’s weapons.