It was formerly known as Monumento Nacional aos Mortos da Segunda Guerra Mundial, or the 'National Monument to the Dead of World War II'. the memorial was first inaugurated in 1960, when the Repatriation commission of the Italian Cemetery brought the remains of 462 soldiers to Brazil - On the 22nd of November of the same year the remains were taken to the Monument.

The edifice itself is constituted of three levels - the platform, the porch, and the Underground. The platform is designed in an elongated corner shape, and it is reached by a thirty meter wide staircase of 26 steps.