The church was built in a Roman-Byzantine style between 1928 and 1930 to a design by architect 'Jos Smolderen'. The building was a part of the 1930 World Exhibition in Antwerp. The complex had to serve as a pavilion for the exhibition of religious Flemish art and was intended as a national monument, based on the techniques and materials used. The design was also inspired by the basilica of Koekelber', Brussels, which was built around the same time.
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| Picture by Harry Fabel |
After the World Exhibition, the building was given its current function, a parish church. The German firm Johannes Klais Orgelbau from Bonn built a monumental organ inside the church. The electrically driven organ was considered very modern at the time. The Klais Organ has 5564 pipes and is regularly played at concert services and during the annual organ cycle in October. With her 64 m high tower and 3 monumental domes, the church dominates the city's neighborhood and skyline.
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| Picture by Harry Fabel |
