735年、紀是広が７歳で亡くなった我が子を弔うために７つの伽藍を建立したことから、七寺（ななつでら）と呼ばれるようになりました。
創建時は現在のあま市にあったのですが、その後水害や戦火での焼失が３度、移築も２度経て江戸時代に現在の場所になりました。
江戸時代には境内に芝居小屋や茶店が建ち並び、縁日なども行われ、大須観音や西別院などをも凌ぐ賑わいがあったようですが、その後、第二次大戦の戦火で４度目の伽藍焼失により、現在のような小さなお寺になってしまいました。
The temple was founded in 735 in present-day's Ama City, and was called Nanatsudera (Seven Temples) because Kinokorehiro built seven temples to mourn his son who died at the age of seven.
Since then, the temple has been flooded once, burned down twice in wars, and relocated twice before it reached its current location.
In the Edo period, the temple grounds were lined with playhouses and teahouses, and fairs and other events were held, and it seems that the temple was even more crowded than Osu Kannon and Nishi-Betsuin, etc.
Later, the temple was burned down for the fourth time in the World War II, and became the small temple it is today.