The Government Building stands today on the site of the ancient Building called Domus Magna Comunis, which was probably built at the end of the 14th century and, after being restored several times, was demolished at the end of the 19th century as it was falling into ruins.  

The new Government Building, built between 1884 and 1894, was designed by the Roman architect Frencesco Azzurri, President of the Accademy of St. Luca in Rome, who, interpreting the expectations and tastes of San Marino authorities, reproduced the simple and austere style of the 13th - 14th century buildings of Italian city-states.

Restructuring works, in particular as regards stone parts, were entrusted to local workers headed by the master builder Giuseppe Reffi from San Marino, while pictorial decorations, wrought-iron manufactured items and furnishings were produced by foreign artisans specially chosen by Azzurri. 

After a hundred years of life, the building, which had become inadequate for today’s safety and functionalism needs, underwent a complex restoration. The intervention was entrusted to the internationally renowned architect Gae Aulenti and concluded on 30 September 1996 with a solemn inauguration.

The building, where official State ceremonies take place, is the seat of the Republic’s main institutional and administrative bodies: the Captains Regent, the Great and General Council, the Council of the XII, the Congress of State.