It is a suffragan of the Archeparchy of Asmara, and a constituent eparchy of the Eritrean Catholic Church.

The first Catholic church in Keren was built in 1865 but was demolished in 1871 by the authorities of the Khedivate of Egypt, who in the 1870s held much of Eritrea.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Abyssinia, which from 1870 to 1894 had its headquarters in Keren, was allowed to rebuild the church, began the work on 24 May 1873 and completed it and blessed it on 14 February 1875.

[7] The eparchy covers what at the time of its creation were the Eritrean provinces of Senhit and Sahel, with an area of 25,949 km2 (10,019 sq mi), and a total population of 448,968, of whom 49,538 (11.0%) are Catholics.

A much larger cathedral, also dedicated to Saint Michael, is under construction south of the centre.