Statuti della venerabile Archiconfraternita del Confalone, Roma, 1735
The fraternity was founded in 1264 in Rome as "Raccomandati di Madonna S. Maria" at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. It was recognized by pope Clement IV in 1267. In 1579 pope Gregory XIII elevates it into arch-confraternity and two years after, entrusted to it "the pious work of the redemption of slaves", that is, the task of raising funds to redeem Christian prisoners, slaves of Barbary pirates, which became the main activity of the association until the end of the XVIII century. The approval of the statutes by the patron Cardinal Giuseppe Renato Imperiali is dated 22 December 1734 (p. 110).