Construction began in the early 13th century to replace a Romanesque church, and continued through that century. The article names no architect. The style is Scheldt Gothic, in blue-gray stone from the Tournai area. A single large tower rises over the crossing, partly paid for by the city, and slender turrets mark the corners. It carried the town bells until the Belfry of Ghent was built. Guilds funded chapels along the sides in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Houses and shops were built against the facades in the 18th century. Interest in it as a historic monument grew around 1840. Major restoration plans date to the turn of the 20th century, when adjacent houses were demolished, and renovation has continued.
Cavaillé-Coll built the organ from 1853 to 1856. It is an active Roman Catholic church.
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