[2] The site of the church was originally owned by the Norbertine St. Michael's Abbey in Antwerp.

[1] In the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic wars, the church was seriously neglected and half of it was turned into a hospice for the poor of the city.

The furnishings were sold and holes were made in the gables for people to be able to see out and over the church to help defend it against attack.

Through the cooperation of the nearby Minor Seminary and the Civil Hospices, it was restored and equipped with new furniture and the internal walls were removed.

In 1900–01, the Jesuits changed the floor plan and moved the choir to the gallery in the west of the church.