The Crossbowmen's Guild received land at the Sablon in the early thirteenth century and built the original chapel. Construction of the present church is generally believed to have started around 1400, and the choir was finished in 1435. Work was interrupted after 1477 and resumed by the end of the century.
The article describes most of the church as late Brabantine Gothic, with Baroque chapels and a pulpit, and Gothic Revival additions from the nineteenth century. It is 79 feet (24 meters) wide and 213 feet (65 meters) high. The nave pillars have no capitals, which adds to the vertical effect. Two planned towers were never completed.
Restoration began in 1870 under Auguste Schoy, and Jules-Jacques Van Ysendyck led six building phases from 1895 to 1912. It was designated a historic monument on March 5, 1936.
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