The main Auditorium of Bologna was created inside the original monastery built during the 16th century by the Jesuits. In the following century, the building was modified to become a Catholic church by the architect G. Rainaldi. After the French invasion led by Napoleon during the 18th century, the church was adapted to fulfil different uses. Nowadays, the main hall, composed of three naves but having audience seats in the central one only, is used for celebrations and civil events organized by the University of Bologna. Numerical simulations have been undertaken considering two different scenarios: acoustic adaptation to become an auditorium and to become a conference hall. The model representing the existing conditions has been calibrated on the measurements undertaken across the seating areas. The two scenarios simulated have been compared with the existing conditions of the Aula Magna: the outcomes highlight an improvement in speech comprehension across all the seating areas by achieving the optimal range of each acoustic parameter analyzed. A historical background has also been introduced to understand the adaptation of the original construction to the different room functions assigned throughout the centuries. © 2022 Free University of Bozen Bolzano. All rights reserved.