François Marius Granet, a painter from Aix-en-Provence, shared a passion for ancient architecture and the play of light and shade with Fleury Richard and Pierre Révoil, who studied alongside him in Jacques Louis David's studio. This painting depicts the choir of a church in Rome: Santa Maria della Concezione, situated near the Piazza Barberini, part of the monastery of the Capuchin Friars. This church does not feature in many artists' work of the time due to not being on the usual tour routes. 

The painter lived nearby and visited the church on a regular basis. But the latter occupation of the town by the French army in 1808 led to many acts of violence towards members of the clergy, to such an extent that Granet, on his next visit to Italy, found the site deserted. Wishing to denounce these acts, he created the first version of this composition in 1814, in which the church, far from being empty, is filled with monks at the hour of vespers, the very moment when the Magnificat is sung.

This painting, as much an architectural image as a scene of devotion, was an immediate success due to the picturesque realism of the detail, the poses of the figures and the striking use of light. Granet was soon very much in high demand, with various collectors asking him to create copies of the canvas. This composition was therefore recreated with numerous variations, most notably in a version presented at the Paris Salon of 1819 and this painting, held in the museum's collection.