Diocese of Ypres

The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801.

In 1553 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire, in revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz.

In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished.

With this, Saint Martin's Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese.

After the Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, Ypres was incorporated into the Diocese of Ghent, and Saint Martin's lost its status as a cathedral.